Two Worlds Collide
by polgara-5
Summary: COMPLETE An evil threatens not one, but two worlds. Bonds will be tested and new alliances will be formed. Sequel to The Slayer, The Wizard, and The Key BTVSHPLOTR
1. The Weasleys

Hello all! I'm back again. Just as a forewarning, I won't have the next chapter up until Nov. 23. I know it's a long time between chapters, but I have a lot to do this month so I'll have little time to write. Now on to some specifics....

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Two Worlds Collide

by: Polgara (melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com)

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Summary: An evil threatens not one, but two worlds. Bonds will be tested and new alliances will be formed.

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THIS IS A SEQUEL TO THE SLAYER, THE WIZARD, AND THE KEY! I suggest you read that story first otherwise you will be completely and totally lost!

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Rating: R (Just to be on the safe side)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Buffy, or Lord Of The Rings. If I did, do you really think I would be writing fanfiction?

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Dedication: I would like to dedicate this story to S.M., fairysk8r, Lyainae, T.C. Vincent, and Abbey for being such wonderful, faithful reviewers for the last fic. I hope you guys enjoy this one just as much as the last one.

Just one more little note to my readers and reviewers before you start reading. I'm not going to be able to write this one as quickly as my last story. Just be assured that I will not abandon this story. I have a life outside of fanfiction that I do try to live. One that includes a job that eats up a lot of free time and energy, and a husband who I love very much and do try to spend time with. So please don't demand an update, makes me rant, and me ranting is not a pretty sight.

Chapter One

The Weasleys

Dawn did one last check in her mirror. Satisfied with her appearance she rushed out of her bedroom and into the room next to hers. She stopped in the doorway and watched her boyfriend, Draco, fuss over his appearance.

The past two weeks in the California sun had performed wonders. He was no longer pale from spending the long winter in Hogwarts' castle, but was now nicely tanned. She had even talked him into cutting his hair so it no longer hung in his eyes since he tended to let it hang loose most of the time.

He was casually dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a short-sleeved white dress shirt that just seemed to enhance his tan even more.

She stifled a giggle as she watched him carefully try to make his hair look perfect. She eventually gave up and said, "You look fine."

Draco jumped slightly, having not heard her enter his room. "What if they don't like me? I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the Malfoys and the Weasleys haven't always gotten along."  
"Relax. Ginny loves you, and Ron..." Draco quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well, you guys aren't exactly friends, but at least you tolerate being in the same room as each other."

"True, but it may not mean anything. My father antagonized Mr. Weasley for years at work. Plus, I'm not sure their parents can forgive me for all the things I've said and done to their children over the years." 

Dawn sighed. It was an argument they had had several times over the past week ever since she told him the Weasleys were coming over for dinner. She knew she wasn't going to change his mind so she said, "You look great. Now let's go downstairs, they're going to be here any minute." 

"But, but..."

"No buts." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door and down the stairs.

Buffy and Spike were already waiting in the living room. Dawn could barely contain her excitement. It had only been two weeks since they had left Hogwarts for the summer, but she already missed Ginny Weasley like crazy. She had heard so many stories about the Weasley clan and now they were all coming over. Ginny would be spending the next week in Sunnydale with her and Draco. 

"Is dinner ready?" Dawn asked.

Buffy smiled and replied, "Yes."  
"You didn't cook did you?" Draco asked.

"No. Willow and Tara did," Buffy answered with a glare. "Everything is set up outside."

Dawn nodded in understanding. They knew they wouldn't be able to fit all nine Weasleys in the dining room so they had set up a table in the backyard.

A green fire flared up in the fireplace and Ginny Weasley stepped through. The redhead barely got her bearings before she found herself practically tackled by an enthusiastic Dawn.

"It's so good to see you, Ginny!" The two pulled apart so they could get a good look at each other.

"You, too!" 

"I've missed you!"

"I love your hair, Dawn."

"Thanks, just a couple of highlights."  
"It looks fabulous."  
"I see your mom let you keep the makeup."  
"She thinks it's great."

They squealed in unison and hugged again. They excitedly jumped up and down, completely ignoring the other arrivals.

"I can't believe you're finally here!"

"How long before they remember the rest of us?" Ron asked as he hugged Buffy.

"Knowing those two, a while," the slayer answered with a smile.

"Absolutely fascinating," came an older male voice behind Ron. "A muggle home that wizards live in. Absolutely fascinating."

"Father has been giddy for the past several days," Ron said with a roll of his eyes.

"So how is Harry?" Dawn asked.

"He's much happier living with Sirius and Professor Lupin. He's going to stay with us the last week of summer," Ginny told her.

"Bet you can't wait," Dawn said teasingly.

Ginny just shook her head. "How's Draco?"

"You could just ask me yourself," came a softly mocking voice beside her.

She squealed and crushed him in a bear hug. "Draco! How are you?"

"I'm good," he answered with a smile as he picked her up and twirled her around. "I think I may have missed you."

"Will wonders never cease," she teased as he set her down. "You look good. Real good."

"Better not let Potter hear you say that."

"Then it will be our little secret won't it?"

"Ginny! Stop flirting with Malfoy."  
"Oh stuff it Ron. He knows I'm with Harry. Besides I could never take him from Dawn, he loves her too much."  
"That's right, Weasel," Draco said as he put an arm around Dawn who promptly elbowed him in the ribs. "I mean Ron."

"I hate to interrupt this captivating conversation," Spike said loudly. "But there are people here that I don't know."  
"Sorry," Ginny mumbled, slightly embarrassed. "This is my mum, Molly, and my father, Arthur. The twins are Fred and George, good luck telling them apart."

"Our own mum can't," one said tragically.

"It's our curse in life," said the other.

"It should be illegal to be this handsome."  
"Especially since there are two of us."

Buffy and Dawn giggled as Ginny continued, "Don't eat anything they offer you. The bookish looking one is Percy; the one next to him is Charlie. And the one with the long hair and earring is Bill." The three gave a polite nod of the head and said hello. Ginny turned to introduce the Summers'. "This is Buffy and Spike..."  
Before she could say more, Mrs. Weasley had crushed the two of them into a giant hug. "Thank you so much for teaching my children how to defend themselves. I just know it saved their lives."  
"Mum," Ron said in an exasperated tone.

When Molly finally released them she turned to Dawn and gave her an equally large hug. "You must be Dawn. Ginny has told me so much about you. And I know you're responsible for helping her blossom into a beautiful woman. I was so fearful that having all of those brothers would keep her a tomboy for life."  
"Mum!" It was Ginny's turn to be embarrassed.

"I'm sorry dear."  
"And most of you already know Draco Malfoy."

Draco gave a nervous smile and wave.

Charlie and Bill seemed genuinely surprised to see him while the twins and Percy glared at him. 

Mrs. Weasley turned a calculating look toward the blond and stepped up to him. Draco swallowed anxiously. The short plump woman intimidated him as much as Buffy and Spike had in the beginning. For some reason he felt it was important that this woman not only liked him, but also approved of him.

"My children tell me you've changed," she said in a way that clearly indicated she was asking a question.

"Molly."  
"Not now Arthur. Well?"

"Yes ma'am, I have."

She raised a red eyebrow at his polite tone. "Any particular reason?" She caught his eyes flickering over to Dawn. "She worth it?"

A huge smile broke out on his face and he turned his head to regard Dawn. "Definitely."

Mrs. Weasley's demeanor changed so quickly that only those who were accustomed to her doing so saw it happen. She wrapped her arms around the taller boy and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so glad to hear that. I had always hoped you would turn out better than your father."

Draco was so surprised all he could do at first was stand there. As the full importance of what just happened hit him, a genuine smile broke out on his face and he hugged her back just as tightly.

Most of the Weasleys could only stand there in utter shock. They found it hard to believe that Draco Malfoy, the son of Lucius Malfoy a known death eater, had a huge smile on his face while he hugged their mother.

As Molly pulled away from Draco she looked at Dawn and said, "You did well for yourself. Not as well as my Ginny with Harry, but you did well."

Ginny voiced her protest again, "Mum!"

The matron of the Weasley family laughed. "I'm just teasing dear."

Spike saw Mr. Weasley eagerly eyeing the television and vcr. "Dinner is ready. Should we go and eat before it gets cold? We can do the whole tour thing after." 

Ron's eyes brightened. "Food? Yeah, I'm hungry."  
"When are you not hungry?" Dawn asked with a roll of her eyes. 

He shrugged. A thought crossed his mind and he turned to Buffy. "You didn't cook did you? I've heard stories."  
Buffy sent him a glare. "No, I didn't. Willow and Tara did."

At the mention of the two wiccas Molly asked, "The two girls teaching Ron? Are they here?"

"No," Spike told here. "There's been a resurgence of demons in the area and people have been asking that the Magic Box be reopened. So they're visiting a local coven with Giles to see if one of them will run the store while we're in England. They'll be by later."

"What about Xander and Anya?" Ginny asked.

"Anya is staying with Snape and Xander had a date tonight," Buffy answered with a grin as she led them through the house and into the backyard.

"Looks like Glinda and Red outdid themselves," Spike said as he viewed the huge amount of food piled on the table. They all sat down and began passing plates of food around.

Charlie turned to Buffy and said, "Ron tells us you're a slayer. I read about you of course in Defense, but I never thought I'd actually meet one. I was told that the watcher's council kept a close eye on their slayers. So much that you were taken from your families and weren't allowed to have friends."  
Buffy smiled and shrugged. "What can I say. I've always broken the rules."

Spike laughed. "She can't even stay dead when she dies."

The Weasleys who didn't know about her resurrections gaped in surprise.

"I've died twice, no biggie."

Apparently Molly didn't think so as she gasped and dropped her fork. "Oh, you poor dear. How can you be so blase about it?"

"It's part of who I am. I can either accept it, or dwell on it. And me dwelling, not a good thing." Changing the topic, the slayer looked at Charlie. "You work with..."  
"Dragons, in Romania."

"Dragons? Really?" Draco asked with interest.

"Only told you like a hundred times," Ginny said.

"You did?"

"So what exactly do you do with these dragons?" Buffy asked, trying to head off an argument.

Dinner went quickly as conversation flowed easily. An outsider would have thought that this was a group of old friends rather than people who had just met they were getting along so well.

Draco and Dawn had just finished clearing the table when the Slytherin stared expectantly at Buffy. "Is it time now?"

"Yes, it's time," Buffy said resignedly.

"Time for what?" One of the twins asked, taking in Draco's eager look.

"To introduce you to some muggle inventions," Spike began.

"TV!"  
"That box that runs on eckeltricity?" Mr. Weasley asked enthusiastically.

"Electricity," Draco corrected absently as he began dragging Ginny and Ron back into the house. "You guys are going to love it!"

As the group walked through the kitchen, the phone rang. Dawn answered it while Mr. Weasley watched with bright eyes. "Is that a fellytone she's using?"

"Yes, a telephone," Spike said with a chuckle as Dawn spoke to the person on the other end.

"Absolutely fascinating."

"That was Willow," Dawn said as she hung up. "They just finished and they'll be here shortly."

"Great, now let's go watch a movie," Draco said impatiently.


	2. Muggle Entertainment

Hi everyone! The next chapter should be up on Dec. 7. I've got a couple things I have to work on, such as Christmas presents, visiting my family, and whatnot. After that I should hopefully back to updating once a week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Caitie78, Mija, Roswell428,Kilea859, ladyofthedragons1, PeAnUtBuTTeR aNd JeLLy, UltraHighDragonFly, Heather, thank you guys so much for your reviews~

dancetdplc thank you so much for the compliment on my writing! One of the things I'm going to be working on over the next two weeks just happens to be Looking For Tomorrow. I hope to have the next chapter up the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but I'm not making any promises.

fairysk8r glad you like Draco, he's got a few more good moments in this chapter.

Mon2 yeah the Malfoys definitely have a weakness for the tv. Thanks for the compliment about keeping the characters true to life, I practically pull my hair out trying to do that sometimes.

PreCarIouS*pErsOnaTa yeah they will be going to ME, the pairings aren't really going to change, and I'm not messing with the Aragorn/Arwen pairing, no matter how much I hate her. You really don't want me to get started with how much I hate what Peter Jackson did with her character. I've got some strange things planned for the dimensional hopping, and hopefully they work, we shall see.

Anoron, thank you so much for your review! I hope this story lives up to your high expectations. And thank you for being patient.

T.C. Vincent, I know, we had just had that conversation about what exactly Charlie does with the dragons so I couldn't resist putting that little bit in there (plus I figured Draco would be obsessed with them since his name means dragon). Maybe I'll write a one-shot one day about what he does. Who knows, I've got so many running around my head. Yes, there is a reason for the resurgence of demons, gets explained later, but not in this chapter. And everyone, please head her warnings about my ranting, I've been going on for two months about the elves at Helm's Deep.

As always, my reviewers are just the best! Thank you guys so much!

There are some slight spoilers for a movie, but I only mentioned the very beginning of it and didn't give the plot away, no matter how many good one-liners I could have put in there throughout it. And if you guys haven't seen it yet, well you damn well should.

Chapter Two

Muggle Entertainment

Buffy insisted on giving the Weasleys a quick tour of the house before they sat down to watch a movie. In reality she wanted to give Willow plenty of time to get there because it would be infinitely easier for her to answer Mr. Weasley's inevitable questions about how the television worked.

A majority of the tour was spent watching Arthur playing with light switches and examining plugs with a childlike glee. Bill and Charlie were more interested in the non-moving muggle photographs.

By the time they herded everyone back into the living room, Willow, Tara, and Giles had arrived. The two wiccas received a bone-crushing hug from Molly as she profusely thanked them for teaching Ron. She then turned her attention to Giles and covered him with as much affection as she had the others.

Draco patiently waited through the entire exchange, even though he was dying to show them the movie. He had picked that evening's selection himself, although he would vociferously deny that it was one of his favorites. He hoped Mr. Weasley enjoyed it because he had chosen it especially for him.

Once Mrs. Weasley finished greeting the newcomers and everyone found a seat in the living room, Draco turned on the TV. Mr. Weasley watched in rapt attention as the blond Slytherin set everything up for the movie. He turned to Willow and opened his mouth, but before he could ask she smiled and began explaining how everything worked.

The menu had been showing on the screen for several minutes by the time she was done. She had to hide another smile as she recognized the screen. "This one again, Draco? Haven't we seen this one enough?"

"I thought this would be a good example of muggle entertainment," Draco answered a bit huffily.

"And the fact that it's your favorite has nothing to do with it," Tara pointed out teasingly.

"It is not my favorite movie!"

"You like it more than Fear Factor."

"Two entirely different genres, you can't even compare them."

"Why don't we watch the movie?" Buffy asked.

"Fine!"

They quietly watched as the Disney and Pixar logos were shown. As the first shot of the movie appeared, Bill asked, "This takes place underwater?"

"The ocean," Draco answered.

"That fish talked!" Arthur exclaimed after a moment. "Where did they find one?"

"That's not a real fish," Willow told him.

"I thought muggles couldn't do magic. How did they make that fish talk?"

Willow patiently explained animation to the confused Mr. Weasley.

"Oh they all died, the poor dear," Molly sniffled. She felt a hand pat hers gently. She looked down to see Draco, who was sitting on the floor in front of her, smiling at her sympathetically.

"It will be all right."

She reached down and hugged him, "You are such a sweet boy!"

Draco had never been told that he was sweet before, especially by a Weasley. He was only slightly surprised to find that he liked it.

When the movie ended their cheeks were sore from laughing so hard and there were a few teary eyes. Draco couldn't help by silently gloat.

Dawn looked up at the clock and exclaimed, "Oh! It's still early. We can go to the Bronze."

"The Bronze? What's that?" One of the twins asked.

"Isn't that the muggle club you hang out at?" Ginny asked.

At Dawn's nod, Ron asked, "Oh, can we go?"

"I don't see why not," Buffy told them.

Molly, however, looked worried. "Are you sure it's safe? You mentioned a resurgence of demons. How do you know they won't attack?"

"Unless they're following orders from a psycho, most demons won't attack a large group. And even if they do get attacked, they can take care of themselves."  
"Yeah, mum. It's not like we haven't fought an army of demons before."

"Shut up, Ron. You're not helping." Ginny hissed.

"Charlie and I will with them," Bill supplied.

"I don't know..." Molly was surrounded by a sea of pleading faces. "Arthur?"

"I don't see why they shouldn't go, Molly. You have to let them go off on their own sometime."

"Fine, go. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"We will." They chorused.

"But first, you need to change Weasel. You'll never blend in with what you have on."  
"Like your clothes are any better, Ferret. Besides I didn't bring anything else to wear."

"We're the same size; you can borrow something of mine."

Ron and his brothers could only stand there and gape in surprise.

"Trying to catch flies? Come on. The twins can come, too. Bill and Charlie look fine."

"I will stay here," Percy said.

"Come on, Perce, you have to go. You need to go out and have a little fun." Bill said.

"No, I'm staying."

"Let's go, we haven't got all night," Draco said as he headed up the stairs.

"You're probably doing this to embarrass me," Ron grumbled as he followed him.

"Actually, Draco has good fashion sense. Not to mention he's going to be seen with you in public, he would rather die than to make you look like an idiot," Dawn assured him as she and Ginny headed to her room.

A short time later, the boys came trumping back down the stairs. Molly couldn't help but gasp in delight at the change in her sons.

Draco, who hadn't changed, said, "It's not perfect, but it was the best I could do on short notice. But I think even Cordelia would approve of my choices."

The twins were dressed similarly in jean shorts and t-shirts. The only difference being Fred's shirt was a pale green and George's a pale blue. Ron was the big surprise though. Draco had dressed him in a pair of lightweight khaki's and a deep green dress shirt. His hair had been styled to give it a tousled look. The effect was somewhat dimmed, however, by Ron's doubtful expression.

"Wow, Ron. You clean up pretty good," Charlie teased.

Before Ron could make a retort all heads turned to see the girls come down the stairs. Dawn had changed into a black skirt and a silver camisole. She had pulled the sides of her hair back with two dainty hair clips.

The Weasley clan barely saw her though, as they stared at the youngest member of their family. Ginny wore a sleeveless, brilliant blue dress. While it wasn't exactly tight, it did cling to her in all the right places and fell to mid-thigh. Dawn had put her hair up in a half-twist and curled the ends that rested on top of her head.

"You need to make sure you wear that for Potter one day. I'm positive he'll love it."  
"Keep your eyes off my sister, Malfoy."

"Whatever Weasel," Draco said with a shrug as he wrapped an arm around Dawn's waist. "Are we ready?"

"Weapons check," Spike said.

"I've got two stakes and my wand," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes.

"Two stakes, wand, and my dagger," Draco said.

"A stake and my wand," Ginny supplied.

"My wand, dagger, and a stake," Ron said.

"Sounds good. See you kids later," Spike said.

*********

"What are you two giggling over?" Draco asked Dawn and Ginny as he placed their drinks in front of them.

"Bill and Charlie," Ginny answered.

He looked across the club and saw them talking to several girls. "Yeah, so?"

"Don't tell me your can't see it?" At Draco's clueless look, Ginny continued. "The girls are falling over them and they are as clueless as you are."

"Not like you can blame the girls, though. You're brothers are some fine looking men, Gin."

"What?!" Draco exclaimed, looking incredulously at his girlfriend.

"Oh come one, Draco. They're just the right build, not too big or too small. They carry themselves with confidence, and they're friendly. What girl wouldn't be attracted to that?" Dawn reasoned.

"Is that so?" Draco asked warningly.

The brunette studied her boyfriend, before answering, "Yes, hence my attraction to you."

"But I'm not friendly," he pointed out.

"You are when you want to be."  
"And it doesn't hurt that you're dead sexy," Ginny added with a grin.

Dawn leaned over and gently kissed Draco on the lips, "No it doesn't." She kissed his left cheek. "You're smart." She kissed his right cheek. "You're confident." She kissed his nose. "You're mine." She kissed his forehead. "And I love _you_." She kissed him on the lips again.

"Apology accepted," he said before kissing her deeply.

"You two are so sappy," Ginny said. "Come on, let's dance."

The three made their way out on the floor to where Ron was dancing with Fred and George. They easily lost themselves in the music and dancing.

Things were going well until a slow song came on. Fred and George left to get something to drink. Ron turned to Dawn and asked, "Can I steal you for a dance?"

"Sure."

Draco turned to ask Ginny to dance when he realized she wasn't there. He looked around and saw her struggling in the arms of a beefy dark haired man.

"Let me go! I don't want to dance with you."

"Like I care," the man said.

~We've got trouble~ Draco said as he approached the couple. "Hey buddy. She obviously doesn't want to dance with you so why not let her go."

"You her boyfriend?'

"No."

"Then butt out."

"I don't think so. I happen to think of her as my sister. Not to mention five of her older brothers are here."  
"And I'm one of them," Ron said as he stood next to Draco.

The man snorted. "Like I should be afraid of the two of you."

"I'm going to tell you nicely one more time. Let her go," Draco said with a bone-chilling smile.

"No."

The blond shrugged nonchalantly, then punched the man squarely across the jaw. The man let go of Ginny as he fell back. Draco took advantage and pulled Ginny to him. Ron did a roundhouse kick to the guy's head, knocking him to the floor.

A bouncer came up and stopped Ron. "What's going on?"

"The bloody git wouldn't let go of my sister."

The bouncer looked at Ginny, who was huddled in Draco's arms. "Is this true?" She could only mutely nod. He turned his attention to the guy on the floor. "I've told you several times to leave the girls alone" he said as he helped the guy to his feet. "Now get out. And I don't want to see you here again."

Bill and Charlie shoved their way through the crowd to reach them. "What happened?"

"Draco and I took care of a creep who was bothering Gin."

"She ok?" Charlie asked.

"I'm fine, just a little startled," came Ginny's reply.

Ron caught Draco's eye over Ginny's head and mouthed the words thank you. The blond sagely nodded his head. "Let's sit down for a bit," the youngest Weasley son suggested.

Dawn watched as her boyfriend took care of her best friend, but she hadn't realized how deeply he cared for her. It amazed her how much the blond had changed over the past year. This time last year he wouldn't have stopped that guy let alone comforted her in his arms. Hell, he'd probably would have encouraged the guy.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

~What was that for?~

~Cause I love you.~

~I love you, too. But what's that smile for?"~

~For how great you are by helping Ginny.~

~What I don't get it why didn't she defend herself?~

~Don't understand girls do you?~

~Is it that obvious?~ Came Draco's dry response.

~First, she was trained to fight demons and death eaters, not muggles. Second, sometimes no matter how strong a girl is, it all flies out the window when they are attacked by a man.~

Draco just nodded and kissed the top of Ginny's head.

They stayed for another hour before deciding to call it a night. The eight of them made their way out onto the street and started the walk home. They hadn't gone far when they heard several screams come from a nearby alley.

Dawn and Draco took off running towards the screams with Ginny and Ron close behind.

"Running to danger is not being careful!" Bill called out as the rest of the Weasleys ran to catch up with them.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" Dawn was saying when they arrived. Charlie saw two girls huddled against the wall at the other end of the alley and five vampires standing in front of them.

"Who do you think you are? The slayer?" One of the vampires asked.

"No, but she is my sister," Dawn said sweetly before slamming her fist in his face.

Bill, Charlie, and the twins didn't even think to pull out their wands to help because they were too busy watching the fighting.

Ginny was the first to dust one and she turned to see Ron dust his. They watched as Dawn and Draco moved seamlessly together to simultaneously dust two more. The last vampire realized he was seriously outmatched and tried to make a run for it. But Ginny threw her stake and he screamed as he turned to dust.

"Are you ok?" Dawn asked the two girls. With wide eyes they nodded their heads. "Why don't you go home? And next time, make sure you walk in a bigger group at night." The girls just nodded again and ran out of the alley.

"You didn't use a memory charm," Charlie pointed out.

"Don't need to. This is Sunnydale. Everyone knows the creepy crawlies exist, but they don't talk about it. Plus, they're safer knowing how to take care of themselves," the brunette explained.

Fred and George couldn't stop staring at Ginny. "That was amazing," Fred said.

"With the fighting."  
"And the kicking."

"And the staking."

"And the dusting."

"Who knew you were so cool?" George concluded.

"I did," Dawn said with a smile.

*********

The rest of the walk back passed without incident. As the group walked into the house, Mrs. Weasley looked them over carefully. "Did you have fun?"

"Spiffing time, mum," Fred answered.

"Absolutely spiffing," George echoed.

"It's getting late, we should head back," Arthur told them.

"We need to change first," Ron said.

"Keep the clothes Weasley. Wear them to impress Granger one day."  
"Thanks Ferret."

"Any time."

Everyone said their goodbyes. Molly gave Ginny an extra long hug. "We'll see you in a week dear."

"Love you, mum."  
"I love you too dear." She turned to the scoobies. "Feel free to come out and visit."

Before long, Ginny was the only Weasley remaining. Giles, Willow, and Tara were getting ready to leave when Xander walked in.

"How was the date?" Willow asked.

"She wasn't a demon!" Xander cried joyfully.

"That's great. You gonna see her again?"

"No."

"Why not?" Buffy asked.

"It just felt like there was something missing."

"Probably the fact that she wasn't trying to kill you," Spike said loftily.

"Yeah, probably."


	3. LA

Whew! Just finished this one on time. There are probably a ton of typos cause I just typed this, so let me apologize now. The next chapter won't be up until the 28th. Think of it as a late Christmas present. I'm sorry, but I'm swamped with Christmas.

A few reminders... Connor never existed so things in the Angel verse might seem weird. Caritas never got destroyed and they still work from the Hyperion.

Disclaimer: I don't own the songs they sing in this chapter. I don't want to say what they are now cause I want you to be surprised.

And yes, the movie was Finding Nemo in the last chapter, I just love that movie...

Calex, fairysk8r, John, Kilea859, Horsewhisperer of Rohan, Anne, dancetdplc, Pandoras Box1, Mon2, thank you guys so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot.

Lord of The Ring action will pick up in the next chapter....

Chapter Three

L.A.

Ginny and Dawn headed upstairs to go to bed after the scoobies had left. They quickly changed into their pajamas and climbed into Dawn's bed. Dawn turned out the light and the room was quiet.

"So when do you sneak into Draco's room?" Ginny's voice came from the darkness.

"Never."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Gin, do you know how hard it is to sneak around in a house that has a slayer and a vampire in it? They both have supernatural hearing. They can hear a fly walk across the living room wall; they would be able to hear us sneaking around."

"Got caught, huh?" Ginny asked, a grin on her face despite the fact that Dawn couldn't see it.

"Yup, first night. Got a huge lecture. Like we were going to do anything but sleep."

Ginny couldn't stop the snort of laughter.

"Ok, maybe some kissing, but nothing more. I'm not dumb enough to make her mistakes. Granted Draco is not a vampire cursed with a soul he loses at the first moment of perfect happiness, but we're not ready for that step."

"Is it a mutual decision, or an individual?"

"It's mutual."

They laid there in silence for several minutes before Ginny asked, "Do you guys know why there's a resurgence of demons?"

"Willow and Giles think it's some sort of a backlash from the spell Voldemort used to control the demons. Giles thinks that as soon as they were released they scattered and went to places that were demon havens. Angel's group has been busy in L.A. with the same problem."

"Do they think it's permanent?"

"Nah. Things have already started to die off here. Probably because the hellmouth is almost permanently closed."

*******

The next couple of days were spent quietly. Ginny fell in love with muggle music; she would listen to anything she could get her hands on. She really enjoyed country music, much to Draco's chagrin. She had been flipping through the radio when she came across a country station and she was hooked from then on. The redhead related to the songs that seemed to focus on the more simple parts of life.

Ginny only had a passing interest in the television. While she enjoyed several of the shows, she wasn't stuck to it like glue as Draco was. But she did love to watch movies.

They were halfway through the week when Dawn and Buffy had an argument.

"No, Dawn, absolutely not."

"But why?"  
"L.A. is too dangerous."

"We'll be there for one night and we'll stay with Angel. How can that be dangerous?" Buffy shot her a look. "I want them to meet Lorne. We can't get hurt at his place, he has that anti-violence spell."

"It's not the demons I'm worried about. It's the freeway. You haven't been driving long enough."  
"But Spike taught me."

Buffy quirked an eyebrow. "And that is suppose to make me feel better?"

"What if you and Spike come with us?"

"I don't know."  
"Come on. Pretty please. We get to go shopping!"

A light appeared in Buffy's eyes and the edges of her mouth tried to perk up.

"Shopping in L.A., you know there's nothing like it. Plus, we get to see Cordy and Fred."

"Ok, fine, we'll go. But only if you can convince Spike."  
*********

"Wow," Ginny said as she looked around the lobby of the Hyperion. She took in the art deco style that seemed to make the place so elegant and yet a comfortable place to live. She thought it was a rather strange place to run a demon hunting company from, but who was she to complain.

She smiled as she recognized the people emerging from the office. There was a quick round of hugs and hellos before they were shown to their rooms. Again, she was impressed by the elegant, yet homey look to her room. She quickly put her things in order and went downstairs.

"Where did you want to go shopping?" Cordelia was asking.

"The mall is fine," Dawn answered.

"What's a mall?" Ginny asked.

"Only the greatest thing God put on this earth," Cordelia answered brightly. "It's a huge building that has all kinds of stores and you don't have to go outside."

"Sounds like fun," Ginny said.

The girls, along with Draco, piled into Cordy's car and headed off for a day of shopping. Knowing that Cordelia was an intense shopper, Dawn, Ginny, and Draco split off the shop at a more relaxing pace. But it didn't take Draco long to decide that he would rather shop on his own, leaving the two witches on their own.

"What's he going to do?"

"Shop on his own," Dawn answered absently as they looked through a rack. "He gets weird about shopping sometimes."

"How can he afford shopping, what with him being disowned and all?"

"A great uncle who died a couple of years ago left him a fortune and he's the only one who has access to it."

"How much is a fortune?"

"So much that he lives quite comfortably with just the interest alone."

Ginny's mouth formed a perfect silent O. Then Dawn surprised her by placing a load of clothes into her arms and began pushing her towards the dressing rooms. "What are you doing?"

"You're going to try on these clothes."

"But I don't have enough money!"

"Relax. It's an early birthday present from the scooby gang."  
"My birthday is a month away."

"I know, but we'll sort of be out of touch at that time so we decided to do this now."

"What do you mean, out of touch?"

"I'll explain later, now change," Dawn ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

A couple of hours and many bags of clothes later found the two witches sitting in the food court eating ice cream. "Why will you be out of touch?" Ginny asked between bites.

"As soon as Anya gets back from England at the end of the month, the scoobies are going to Middle Earth."

"Really?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Yup. We're going to visit Galadriel. I've been teaching everybody Sindarin."

"Is that Elvish?"

"Yeah. There are two elven languages, Quenya and Sindarin. Quenya is the old language and my magic only works if I use it. Sindarin is the one they all use now. Only a handful can speak Quenya, Galadriel being one of them."

"I just had a brilliant idea!"

"What?"

"Why don't you teach me and the others Sindarin also. That way we could speak in a sort of code if we need to keep something secret."

"Or even when we're fighting. Gin, you're a genius!"

"I know," she said with a goofy grin. "Is it hard to learn?"

"Amazingly enough, Buffy is catching on fast and she is horrible with languages, so I'm saying no."

"No to what?" Draco asked as he set his bags down.

"Whether or not it's hard to learn Sindarin, Ginny wants to learn."

"It's pretty easy," Draco acceded.

"What did you buy?" Dawn asked as she tried to peer into some of his bags.

He slapped her hands away. "None of your business."

Dawn sent Ginny a look as if to say, see, I told you he's weird about shopping.

"I did buy something for my surrogate sister for her upcoming birthday though."

"Oh! What'd you get me?"

With a big smile he handed her a bag from one of the music stores. Inside she found a cd walkman and several cds. "I hope you like them. I don't know anything about that twangy music you listen to. I tried to remember the artists you've mentioned."

"They're wonderful," she said as she hugged him.

"And you just let girls hug your man all willy nilly like that?" Cordelia asked with a smile as she and Buffy joined them.

"It's a thank you for my birthday present," Ginny said with a grin as she held up the things he got her.

"Spike can probably charm them so they'll work at Hogwarts," Buffy told her. "Did Dawn get you enough stuff from all of us."

"More than enough. You guys didn't have to."  
"Of course we did, you're practically family. Did you guys shop for Harry's birthday?" Dawn and Ginny nodded. "Draco?"

"Yes, I bought scarhead a present. What's on the agenda for tonight?" He asked as they headed to the car.

"Caritas," Dawn answered cheerfully.

"Carrot what?" Buffy asked.

"Caritas. It's the karaoke bar that Lorne owns."

"Karaoke?" Ginny asked.

"People get up and poorly sing the songs they love," Buffy told her with a grimace. "One of man's worst inventions."

"Lorne's club is rather unique, however," Cordelia told them.

"How?"

"It's a demon bar..."

"You're taking us to a demon bar?" Ginny cried incredulously.

"Lorne is a demon, so it makes sense," Cordelia said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, the demons don't go there to fight. They go to sing and have their fortunes told."

"Fortunes?" Draco asked.

"Lorne reads your aura when you sing and helps you find your path."

*******

Spike was waiting in the lobby of the Hyperion when Dawn and Ginny came down.

"Where's everybody else?" The redhead asked.

"Seer had a vision, Buffy went with them."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Someone had to take you three."

"I could have driven," Dawn said sourly.

The vampire snorted. "Like your sister would've allowed that."

"We ready?" Came Draco's voice as he came down the stairs.

Dawn let out a small gasp as she drank in her boyfriend. He had changed into black leather pants and a soft grey, silk shirt that enhanced his eyes. But what really got her attention, was his coat.

"Nice duster," Spike choked out.

Draco suddenly seemed nervous. "Are you sure? I saw it while shopping today and I couldn't resist."

"No mate, it's perfect," Spike said as he hugged his nephew.

Ginny and Dawn could just stare at the two similarly dressed Malfoys. Draco had found a duster that nearly matched the one Spike always wore.

"There's no doubt you're related," Dawn breathed.

"No kidding, you are so lucky Dawn," Ginny whispered.

"Well," Spike said, breaking the moment. "Let's go listen to some demons butcher some good rock 'n roll."

*********

Ginny and Draco could only stare in open amazement at the demon hugging Dawn. While Draco had at least met Clem, it in no way prepared him for this.

If the green skin with red horns and eyes didn't catch their attention. Then the bright yellow suit would. The suit was so garish, Draco wondered how the demon moved about in public without attracting attention with it.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the demon approaching him. "Spike, you never told me you had a twin."

"He's my nephew."

"Definitely has Malfoy blood in him." Lorne turned accusing eyes to the vampire. "You never told me."

"I didn't tell anyone until recently," Spike said in way of explanation.

"I'm Lorne," the demon said, offering his hand.

"Draco," the young blond said, accepting it.

"And this luscious redhead must be a Weasley."

"Ginny," she said with a blush as he kissed her cheek. "How did you know?"

"I cater to everyone here, including wizards. I've seen and heard of enough Weasleys to guess you had to be one."

"Really?'

"Of course. So you guys looking for some help?"

"No, just a night of fun." Dawn said cheerfully, then added slyly, "But if you read anything interesting and would like to give us a tip or two, we won't complain."

"Gotcha, beautiful. Pull up a chair and look through the list. Drinks are on the house."

"Thanks Lorne," Dawn said as they found an empty table.

There was silence after they ordered their drinks as they perused the song list. It didn't take them long to pick their songs and hand them in.

"I think Buffy was right. This is an awful invention," Draco said as he winced. A huge demon whose coloring looked suspiciously like baby poop was trying to hit a rather high note in a Whitney Houston song.

"It can be fun though," Dawn said as she rubbed her ears. "Provided people pick a song in their range."

"Wasn't he just wonderful folks," Lorne said as he stepped on stage at the end of the song.

"Was he not listening?" Draco said in awe.

"He says that to everyone, no matter how much they suck," Spike told him. "He does have a business to run you know."

"Next up we have a Mr. Draco Malfoy," Lorne announced and Draco made his way to the stage.

The blond blinked under the lights as he stepped up to the microphone. He suddenly seemed slightly anxious as the music started, but relaxed once he began singing.

"So close no matter how far,

Couldn't be much more from the heart.

Forever trust in who we are,

And nothing else matters."

Dawn smiled as she recognized the song. Draco had identified with it the first time he had heard it at the Bronze. He wasn't too bad of a singer she realized.

Draco finished to a round of loud applause and smiled as he headed back to the table. "That was kind of fun."

"Told you so," Dawn retorted as she stood and approached the stage. She had sung karaoke before in Sunnydale, but never in front of a room full of demons.

"All the fear has left me now,

I'm not frightened anymore,

It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh,

It's my mouth that pushes out this breath."

A smile graced her face as she continued.

"And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it,

I won't fear love,

And if I feel rage, I won't deny it,

I won't fear love."

Before she knew it, the song was over. She nodded graciously to the applause and sat down. She gave Ginny a grin of encouragement as the redhead went to sing her song.

"Not bad 'Bit."

"Thanks Spike. Now shush."

The table turned expectant eyes to the youngest Weasley who stood alone on the stage. For someone who had never heard of karaoke before, let alone sang it, she seemed to be at home beneath the lights as she looked over her audience. Some up tempo music began to play and she opened her mouth to sing.

"Between the perfect world and the bottom line  
Keeping love alive in these troubled times  
It's a miracle in itself  
And we know too well what that's about  
Still we made it through, only God knows how  
We must've had a little help."

Ginny's friends could only watch her with fascination. They had no clue that she was so talented. Her tone was clear and her voice resonated through the bar.

"Wild angels, wild angels  
Watching over you and me  
Wild angels, wild angels  
Baby what could it be"

The entire crowd jumped to their feet when she was finished. The redhead's shy side surfaced as she made her way back to the table.

"What a set of pipes you have there, Luscious," Lorne said as he joined them. "You could certainly give me a run for my money."  
"Thank you," Ginny said with a light blush.

"See anything?" Spike asked.

The demon turned his eyes to Dawn and Draco. "Enjoy your dimension hopping, it should be fun. But keep your eyes and ears open, you never know what you can learn." He turned to Ginny. "And you my dear. Just relax and enjoy your time off before school starts."

"Nothing serious then?" Spike asked as Lorne stood up.

"At the moment, no. But the future is always changing." He shifted his attention to Draco. "And she's not going to leave ya for another kid, so ease up on the jealousy. She loves you with all her heart." Then he was gone, off to tend to his other customers.

*********

The next several days passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for Ginny to return to the Burrow. She gathered her things and had them sitting in the Summers' living room. With tears in her eyes, she hugged the scoobies goodbye.

Draco whispered in her ear as he held her tight. "Take care and say hi to Potty and Weasel for me."

"I will. Keep an eye on her while you guys are in Middle Earth. And have fun."

"I'll keep both eyes," he assured her as he released her.

Ginny turned and hugged Dawn. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Same here. I hope you have a happy birthday."

"Thank you. Take notes on the cute elves you see."

"I'll do my best."

The young redhead wiped her eyes as she stepped back. "I guess I'll see you guys at Hogwarts." She threw a handful of floo powder in and green flames flared. "The Burrow!" Then she stepped into the flames and was gone.  



	4. Lothlorien

Merry Christmas to all! Also Happy Hanukah and whatever else I missed. An extra long chapter for your late present for whatever holiday you celebrate. The next chapter will be up on January 12. I wish I could write faster, but it's really hard to try and integrate three very different worlds. And I'm going to provide very important info in all of my author notes so please read them before reading each chapter. I hate having to repeat myself.

****

First, I will try and make the LOTR stuff as clear as I can for those who haven't read or seen the movies. And if you are still confused please don't hesitate to email me at melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com 

For those who are familiar with LOTR I'm sure you will recognize where I've picked up the thread, for everyone else we're roughly three-quarters through Fellowship of the Ring.

****

LOTR notes:

{conversation} indicates they are speaking in elvish

for pronunciation: Celeborn is pronounced Keleborn, Caras Galadhon is Caras Galathon, Galadhrim is Galathrim

places: Lothlórien is the forest, Caras Galadhon is the elven city

Galadhrim are the elves of Caras Galadhon

****

Last Chapter:

the songs were: Dawn sang Fumbling Towards Ecstasy by Sarah McLaughlin, Draco sang Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, and Ginny sang Wild Angels by Martina McBride. Everyone was curious so I thought I'd let you know.

****

Review Responses:

fairysk8r, PeAnUtBuTTeR aNd JeLLy, Kyra2, dancetdplc, thank you guys so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot.

Pandoras Box1, you can thank my sister for the idea about Draco and the duster. Can't really remember why we were talking about it, but she mentioned it and it just seemed right. (Of course, we believe everyone needs a duster. We're trying to get the entire theatre department to get one, don't ask, we're a crazy group of people) Personally I'm an Aragorn fan. I like my men scruffy. I'm really looking forward to Viggo's new movie Hidalgo, he plays a cowboy. *sigh*

John, Hermione20, I hope I make everything clear, just email me if I don't.

Draco-FutureBF, thank you so much for my award, I shall treasure it always. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

All of my reviewers just kick ass! You guys are the best!

Chapter Four

Lothlórien

Anya arrived in Sunnydale a week after Ginny had left. She was fairly glowing and no one wanted to comment on it. They couldn't figure out what she saw in the surly potions master. Of course, they had never really understood Xander and Cordelia's relationship either.

Everyone quickly gathered their things and stood out in Buffy's backyard. The entire scooby gang was a bundle of energetic nerves. Other than Anya, none of them had gone to another dimension.

Dawn held on to Draco and Buffy's hands as she began building her will. While holding on to a solid connection with the two of them, she dove into the green light of the key. She pictured the clearing that she had been in when she last talked to Galadriel. She intoned, "I mahtari, I istar, ar I fólë nar minë. Assa imbë ambari. Pantar!"

A portal, just big enough for someone to walk through, shimmered in front of them. As they looked through it they could see a beautiful forest.

"That's our stop," Dawn said.

One by one they stepped through, Dawn being the last one. Once on the other side, she said, "Pahtar!" The sharp edges of the portal wavered, and then it winked out entirely.

{Who are you? What are you doing here?}

They all turned to the direction of the harsh voice. It was then that they realized that twenty blond people, all who were pointing bows at them, surrounded them. They were all beautiful and had pointy ears. Their captures were dressed similarly in greens and browns that blended seamlessly with their surroundings.

"Who are they?" Xander asked in a stage whisper.

"They're elves, now shut up," Dawn said out of the corner of her mouth and then spoke clearly to the elf. {I'm Amaurëa. We're here to see Galadriel.}

The elf who had spoken looked at her in faint surprise. {Are you truly the one transformed from the dimensional key?} A rustle could be heard as the elves talked quietly amongst themselves.

{You've heard of me?}

{I met you once as a child shortly before your transformation.}

Dawn's eyes lit up. {Really? Do you think you could tell me what you remember?}  
{I'm afraid it is not much, but I will. I am Haldir, March Warden of Lothlórien. I shall take you and your companions to see Galadriel. Please follow me.}

"Let's go guys," Dawn said to the rest of the group.

Haldir stopped and turned to regard them. {Do your companions not speak Sindarin?}

{They can understand it at least. But some of their pronunciation is horrible.}

{Hey, I resent that!} Draco protested.

"I don't know, I thought it was pretty accurate," Willow said out of the side of her mouth to Tara who giggled softly.

"That is good," Haldir said in accented English. "Many here do not speak the Common Tongue."  
"Common Tongue?" Xander asked.

The blond elf looked at him strangely. "The language we are currently speaking."

"Oh, you mean English. That's cool."

"I do not see how being cold has any bearing on which language we use."

"It's just an expression we use to say that we understand or we think something was good or even if we like something," Dawn explained.

"Ah, I see," he said in a tone that clearly said he didn't. "Shall we?"

"Sure."

As they walked Haldir noticed Buffy eyeing his bow. "Do you shoot, my lady?"

"Huh?" Buffy asked, startled slightly.

"Do you shoot a bow?"

"Nope. Always wanted to try though," she said thoughtfully.

"Then, perhaps, I shall give you lessons."

"Shouldn't take too long," Spike said. "What will we do for the rest of the two weeks we're here?"

"Why is that?" 

"Buffy here is the slayer."

"The slayer of what?" Haldir asked, truly curious.

"Vampires, demons, general all-around bad guys. She can use every weapon nearly perfectly the first time she picks it up."

"That is truly remarkable. I would like to see that one day."

"Not a problem," Buffy said absently as she was taking in her surroundings.

In fact, they were all pretty caught up in looking around. They had just entered the elven city and they couldn't help but gape at the beauty around them. Stairs wound around impossibly huge trees and above their heads were delicate buildings built into the branches. They seemed to grow naturally from the trees instead of looking man-made, or rather elf-made.

As Dawn looked about, she had an odd sense of familiarity and coming home. The trees called to something in her blood as they welcomed her back. While Sunnydale was her home and she loved it in a strange way, it was soothing to know that this was where she had come from.

They walked up a seemingly endless amount of stairs before reaching an elegant platform. Haldir told them to wait there for Galadriel and then he left. But not before promising to see them again soon.

"Good thing none of us are afraid of heights," Xander said nervously as he peered over the edge of the platform to the forest floor far below.

"If you're scared, whelp, get away from the edge," Spike said with a roll of his eyes.

Xander didn't get a chance to retort because and approaching white light distracted him.

"Oh goddess," Willow breathed as they all turned to look.

When their eyes adjusted they were able to make out two blond elves. One was a man dressed in pale blue robes and the other was a woman in a heavily beaded white gown. Her eyes were piercing as she looked at their visitors.

"Mae govannen, Galadriel," Dawn said brightly.

"Mae govannen, Amaurëa," the woman said warmly. {It has been too long since you have graced our woods. I am glad to see you again.}

Dawn couldn't restrain herself any longer and hugged the elf tightly. {It's so good to see you for real.}

Galadriel returned the hug. {I see you learned to let them support you.}

The brunette gave her a look that clearly said, duh.

She smiled at Dawn with a twinkle in her eye and turned to regard her friends. She approached Draco first and looked deeply into his eyes. He swallowed nervously until she smiled approvingly at him. {Indeed, your heart is as deep and loving as hers. Never doubt that she loves you as deeply as you do her.}

Then she turned her penetrating gaze to Buffy, who held it unwaveringly. {Ah, the warrior who gives her strength to others. Strength that is not only physical, but also emotional. The ties between the two of you are so great, that none can break them.

{And you were a surprise.} Galadriel said, as she looked at Spike. {Always has it been two who helped wield the power of the key, a wizard and a warrior. Never had we imagined that our warrior would have bound herself to another as she has with you. Love as committed and deep as yours is hard to find. I hope you cherish it.}

Spike smirked and said, "You had better believe we do."

"Forgive me, I forgot to ask if you spoke our language or not."  
"I taught them," Dawn piped up. "Some of them speak it very well, but they all can manage if they have to."

"That is good. Now, who are the rest of your friends, Amaurëa?"

Dawn did a quick round of introductions and Galadriel greeted each one of them warmly.

"This is my husband, Celeborn," Galadriel said, referring to the other elf who had arrived with her.

He nodded his head in way of greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you." While Galadriel had seemed warm and friendly, he was stiffer and more formal as if he was trying to figure out what they were doing there.

His wife gave him a knowing look and turned to Dawn and her friends. "You must forgive him. He's a little unhappy about being torn away from his books."

Giles looked up in interest. "Books? What sort of books?"

Celeborn raised an elegant eyebrow. "Books of knowledge, the history of Middle Earth, and the history of our own race."

The watcher looked nearly giddy with excitement. "Do you think, maybe, that I might look through some of them while we're here?"  
Celeborn looked at him more closely and a small smile appeared on his stern visage. "A learned man I see."

"There's nothing like the smell of books and the anticipation of learning what's inside," Giles said with a sheepish grin.

Willow giggled and said, "Better watch out. Giles will start his books good, computers bad speech."

The elf looked at her curiously. "Computers?" He asked, rolling the strange word around on his tongue.

"They are these machines..." Willow began.

"Machines?"

"Oh dear."

Tara looked at the regal elf and smiled sweetly. "Perhaps Willow and I could look at the books, too, in exchange for us telling you about our world?"

A huge grin broke out on Celeborn's face and Galadriel leaned over to Buffy and Dawn to whisper, "I fear your friends have unknowingly unleashed a monster."

"Why do you say that?" Buffy asked.

"Now that my husband knows of their interest in books and knowledge, he may never let them go."

Dawn laughed. "That may not be much of a problem, seeing as those are three of the biggest bookworms I've ever met."

"Bookworms?"

"Umm, a bookworm is a person who spends a lot of time with their nose in a book."

Galadriel smiled in understanding. "Then maybe it is not so much of a problem after all."  
"It is nearly mealtime," Celeborn said. "Maybe we should all get something to eat?"

Xander's eyes brightened. "Food? Sounds good to me."  
"Would you like to change first?" Celeborn asked. "To help you blend in."

Spike gave him an incredulous look. "I hate to tell you mate, but I don't think a change of clothes will help us blend in. We'll stick out like bloody sore thumbs no matter what."

Draco and Xander nodded in agreement, but the girls had thoughtful looks on their faces. "How about we look at clothes after we eat?" Anya suggested.

"That would be acceptable," Galadriel said.

The scoobies followed the two elves to a large room where several other elves were already seated at tables eating their lunch. They sat down and began picking through some of the more exotic foods in front of them.

Xander grinned gleefully as he piled his plate high with assorted foods. Dawn heard one of the elves whisper, {Appetite like a hobbit that one.}  
After lunch, they were shown to the house they would be staying in while they were there. Inside they found elven clothes to wear, so they quickly changed.

Dawn and Buffy opted to braid their hair in a similar style that they had seen the elves wear. The two sisters couldn't help but twirl girlishly around in their elvish gown as they looked at themselves in the mirror.

Buffy giggled. "I feel like a princess."

The brunette nodded. "I hope the other girls' dresses are as pretty."

They walked out of the room they had changed in to see the other girls grinning just as brightly as they were. The girls chatted excitedly among themselves until they heard a scream of rage emit from one of the guys' rooms.

Spike and Draco marched out with murderous looks on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Anya asked without looking up.

"We're wearing bloody tights! That's what's wrong!" Spike exclaimed.

The girls looked to see that the two Malfoy's were similarly dressed. Both had on tight, black leggings that showed off the muscles in their finely toned legs. They each wore beautifully embroidered tunics, Draco's a soft gray and Spike's in a brilliant blue, that were belted at the waist. Altogether they looked quite handsome.

Buffy shrugged and said, "What's the problem? You look fine."

Draco sputtered, "They're bloody tights!"

"Actually that's not correct," Willow supplied. "They're leggings, not tights."

"You're splitting hairs there, Red," Spike warned with a glare.

Before anybody else could say anything, Xander and Giles emerged from another room. Xander's face had the same dark look that Spike and Draco wore for he was similarly dressed.

The Malfoys began sputtering again. "How did you end up in a robe!" Spike cried.

Giles shrugged. "Perhaps they recognized the wisest and more distinguished of the group."

Spike just humphed.

*******

Later that night, Willow, Tara, and Giles were hidden away with Celeborn talking about books, history, and worlds. Buffy, Spike, Anya, and Xander were wandering about Caras Galadhon exploring the city and its people. Dawn and Draco sat in a cozy room with Galadriel drinking tea.

{What is it you wished to speak about?} Galadriel asked.

The brunette hesitated. She had so many questions about her life before the key, what kind of person she was, what she looked like, that she didn't know where to begin.

Draco reached over and softly grasped her hand, giving a gentle squeeze of encouragement. She flashed him a grateful look and turned back to Galadriel.

{I guess I just wanted to know who I was before.}

Galadriel smiled softly. {Much as you are now. It is an amazing thing how much you look as you once did, considering you were made from your sister.}

Dawn blinked in surprise. {How did you know that?}

{You forget that I have the gift of sight like you once had. I saw how the monks made you from Buffy's essence, which is why you share many of her attributes.}

{Yeah, like some of her slayer speed and strength.}

{Yes, but you have retained many of your elven qualities as well. Obviously you did not receive Buffy's height.}

Draco snorted. {That's the truth.} Everyone saw how Dawn towered over her older sister. She was nearly as tall as Draco's six feet.

{You also have the same eyes and luminous beauty,} Galadriel continued. {Indeed, looking at you now the only true difference between you and the past is your lack of pointed ears.}

{Really? I haven't changed that much? I'm that close to what she looked like?}

{Who _you _were,} Galadriel corrected gently. {My old friend Amaurëa is still you. While it is true that you that you may not access specific memories you've seem to retain many of the same feelings and instincts.}

The brunette thought it over carefully, and realized she was right. She seemed to know that Galadriel was a close friend, something she would have known whether or not she had read Nerdanal's journal.

They talked for several hours sharing stories. Galadriel told her of her time on Middle Earth, while Dawn told her about life in Sunnydale.

Draco just sat back and listened. He interjected his own thoughts and questions from time to time. But was mostly there to provide Dawn the emotional support she needed.

When it grew dark they called it a night. Dawn and Draco walked back to their house silently holding hands. They couldn't help but marvel at the beauty around them as the city of Caras Galadhon practically glowed in the darkness.

********

The next morning after breakfast, Haldir stopped by to see if Buffy and anyone else wanted to join him for target practice. Buffy naturally agreed, along with Dawn and Draco. Surprisingly Spike opted not to go and went exploring again with Xander and Anya. Willow, Tara, and Giles were already off with Celeborn.

Draco waited for the sisters to change into something more suitable. They found clothing similar to Draco's in their room and they quickly changed.

The four were at an archery range and Haldir decided to find out how good Buffy's slayer skills were. He handed her a bow and arrow without any instructions. He pointed to a target fifty yards away and told her to hit the center.

Buffy took a moment to center herself, then easily notched her arrow and pulled back. She held her breath as she lined up her shot and released the arrow.

Haldir look duly impressed as the arrow hit only inches from the center. "My lady, are you sure this is the first time you've used a bow?"

The slayer rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you to drop the my lady stuff? Just call me Buffy. And yes, that was my first time. I told you, I'm naturally good with weapons."

Dawn spoke up. "Let me try." Buffy handed the bow over and Dawn was amazed at how natural it felt in her hands.

She grinned as in one swift motion she notched her arrow and pulled back. She studied her target for a second and released.

Not only was Haldir surprised, but so were Buffy and Draco, as her arrow hit right below Buffy's.

"Whoo hoo!" She cried and did a little dance.

"How did you do that?" Buffy asked.

Dawn shrugged. "Probably a combination from what I inherited from you and Nerdanal."

Buffy could only nod as she stared at Dawn's arrow in amazement.

********

The next several days passed quietly as the scoobies relaxed in the peaceful calm of Lothlórien. They had been there for five days when they noticed Celeborn and Galadriel became edgy. They had sent Haldir out with a group to patrol the forest.

Buffy, Dawn, and Draco continued their archery lessons on their own. By that time, Buffy and Dawn were shooting as well as the rest of the Galadhrim. While Draco wasn't doing too badly, he hadn't reached the level of proficiency of the girls.

There was a tension in the air so thick that they could almost cut it with a knife. Anytime one of them would ask what was going on they would receive vague answers and the conversation would turn to something else.

Dawn and Draco had been out for a walk on their seventh night when she said, ~Did you hear what those elves just said?~

~No, what?~

~There are other visitors here. Something about a dwarf and hobbits.~

~You think this might be what the hoopla has been about?~

~Maybe. Want to check it out?~

~Sure.~

They headed to the platform where they had first met Galadriel. They quickly found a place to hide themselves and watched as Haldir led eight people onto the platform.

~That's unusual.~ Dawn said.

~What?~

~There seems to be a representation of each race. Dwarves and elves don't get along, and yet, there is one of each.~

~What about the other four little people? The ones without shoes.~

~Hobbits, I think. There was a short chapter about them in that book Hermione got me for Christmas. Not much is known about them, they tend to keep to themselves.~

The two noticed that the group looked lost and travel-weary as if it had been a long, hard road to get there.

Dawn rubbed her ears.

~What's wrong?~

~Ever since I heard about them, there's been this buzzing noise in my head. And now it's kind of annoying.~

Before Draco could say more, they saw the white light that signaled the approach of Galadriel and Celeborn.

"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone," Celeborn said in a hard tone. "Eight there are here, yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf for I much desire to speak with him."  
~Enemy? What enemy?~ Draco asked.

~Dunno.~

~And who is Gandalf?~

~He's a wizard, I think.~

"Gandalf the Gray did not pass the borders of this land," Galadriel said softly, in surprise. "He had fallen into shadow."

"He was taken by both shadow and flame," said the elf they didn't know. "A balrog of Morgoth."  
~Morgoth. Why does that sound familiar?~

~Bad guy from Nerdanal's Tale.~ Dawn explained.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life," Galadriel was saying, "for we do not yet know his full purpose." She seemed to study each member of the group.

~Oh, she's doing that mind-piercing thing. Creepy.~ Draco said with a shudder.

"Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart Gimli, son of Gloin," she said to the bearded dwarf. "For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands love is mingled with grief."

Galadriel turned her gaze to one of the two men. He could only hold her eyes for a few seconds before turning away.

~Wonder what his problem was?~

Dawn only mentally shrugged.

"What now becomes of this fellowship?" Celeborn asked. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

"Your quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all," Galadriel said with a faraway look. A small smile appeared on her lips. "Yet hope remains while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled, for you are not the only guests in our woods. Are they Amaurëa and Draco?"

The group were startled and looked around curiously. All eyes turned to Dawn and Draco as they stepped out of their hiding place.

"Hi," Dawn said with a guilty smile and nervous wave.


	5. The Fellowship

Happy New Years! Hope everything is going well for you guys. Mine hasn't been too bad so far, although I return to work tomorrow after a nice huge break. Oh well, got to earn the money somehow.

Next chapter should be up on January 25.

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LOTR notes:

Eldar elven word for elves.

I'm using the timeline from the books, not the movies. Cause the fellowship stayed in Lothlórien for a month. You'll understand why this is such a big deal in the next chapter.

For those who don't know lotr, there is a lot of background info here to set things up a bit.

Remember email me if you still have problems! melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com

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A/N: I'm still not fully happy with the way this chapter turned out. But everything got said that needed to and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. If you guys have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.

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Review Responses:

Draco-FutureBF, John, dancetdplc, elven wood, Black Rose9, luvin-echo16, Hermione20, thank you guys so much for all of your reviews!

Mystic Angel-Devil Queen, I put the R rating up just to be on the safe side. I'm a little older then most fanfic writer and readers so my description of R is a little different from theirs. I honestly felt Buffy was on just a little too early for some of the things they dealt with. Plus, things are liable to change as my story goes along.

Lyainae, it's good to hear from you again! Thank you so much for the compliment about my writing!

PuNKyCoWGiRL, no rocket launcher for Buffy cause the story was more about Dawn than her. Plus the G'Noc'leth demon was made of sand that could pull itself back together before they would be able to separate them completely, which was the only way to kill it. Hope that answers your question! As for where they go in Middle Earth, you'll just have to wait and see. And wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

My reviewers are the greatest! Thank you guys so much!

Chapter Five

The Fellowship

The blond elf that had arrived with the group swiftly armed his bow and aimed it at the intruders. Just as quickly, Draco pulled out his wand and said, "Accio bow and arrow!" The items flew out of the surprised elf's hands and into Draco's.

Dawn grabbed the arrow and stalked angrily up to the elf. Shaking the arrow in his face she said, "What is with you elves? I mean, do you shove your arrows into the face of everyone you meet?"

"Just about," the dwarf muttered.

"How did you do that?" The elf asked.

"Magic," Draco said as he handed the bow back. "She said we were guests, that means we're friendly."

{They are insolent.} The elf said quietly to one of the men.

{We can understand you, too.} Dawn said with a glare.

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Galadriel said, "They are our guests, along with several others. Her name is Amaurëa and his is Draco."

"An elvish name," said the man with dark hair. "Were you raised by elves, my lady?"

"Umm, no. Well, not exactly. It's complicated."

He made a move as if to question her further then seemed to decide against it. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Boromir, son of the steward of Gondor." The other man inclined his head. "This is Legolas, son of Thranduil."

"Oh, makes you the prince of Mirkwood then," Dawn said.

Legolas looked surprised, "How did you know?"

"I _can _read," she said with a roll of her eyes.

The heavily bearded dwarf chuckled. "You're a fine lass."

Dawn flashed him a devilish smile and said, "I try."

"I'm Gimli, son of Gloin. It is always a pleasure to meet someone willing to jab at the pointy-eared elf."

"The other shorter members of our company are hobbits..." Aragorn began.

"Told you they were hobbits," Dawn said as she lightly slapped the back of her hand on Draco's upper arm.

"Did I argue? No. Now let him continue."

"Your speech is most puzzling. I can't place your region," Aragorn said, studying them carefully.

"Yeah, well, that's to be expected. Do the hobbits have names? Or am I suppose to call them hobbit one, two, three, and four?"

"This is Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Samwise Gamgee, and Frodo Baggins."

At the introduction of the last hobbit, the buzzing in Dawn's head increased to a roar. She winced and pinched the bridge of her nose.

~Are you ok?~ Draco asked.

She unconsciously erected some mental shields that cut the noise down to a low hum. She looked at Draco and gave him a wavering smile. "I'm fine."

The motley group shifted uneasily as she had spoken the answer to a question they had not heard.

"So what's the quest and who is the enemy?" She asked, regaining her composure.

The company instantly tensed up and Aragorn's eyes barely flickered to Frodo. Dawn wasn't surprised that it was centered on the friendly-looking hobbit after the reaction she had to his introduction.

"Do not concern yourself with these troubles, Amaurëa," Galadriel said.

"It's too late, Galadriel. My friends will find out one way or another, it's what we do." Then, knowing her friend could read her thoughts, she looked the elf lady directly in the eye and said, {Besides, I know it has something to do with Frodo. I can feel it.}

Galadriel bowed her head. "Very well, but not tonight. For the fellowship needs rest. They are weary with sorrow and much toil. We shall speak again in the morrow."

********

The next morning, after breakfast, an elf maid led the scoobies into a large room with couches. She told them to wait and then left. Galadriel and Celeborn entered shortly after, followed by the fellowship.

As soon as Frodo entered the room, Buffy hissed and Willow gasped loudly. They turned to look at the witch in time to see that her eyes and hair were turning black.

"Such delicious power," Willow said in a deep, throaty voice.

"Willow!" Tara cried.

The scoobies crowded themselves between Willow and Frodo while Tara tried to talk her girlfriend down.

"Fight it Willow! Don't let it control you. Come on baby, come back to me. You're stronger than this."

Willow's hair flickered from black to red and then back again.

"Come on Wills," Xander urged. "You can do it."

The black bled out of Willow's hair, but her black eyes remained.

"That's it Willow," Tara said. "Just a little more."

Gasping as if she had come up for air, Willow's eyes turned back to their normal green. With tears streaming down her face, she said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. There was just this sudden rush and I couldn't stop it. I'm so sorry."

Tara wrapped her arms around her weeping girlfriend as she crumpled to the ground. "It's ok," she whispered. "You fought it and won. It's not your fault. There is something evil trying to penetrate him. Something big and old."

Buffy looked warily at the fellowship. "Sorry about that. She got a little too close to black magic once. But something tells me her relapse wasn't entirely her fault." She looked pointedly at Frodo. "There's something not right about you."  
Aragorn stepped protectively in front of Frodo.

"Please sit, and all will be explained," Galadriel said.

Everyone took a seat, with Dawn, Buffy, and Willow sitting as far from Frodo as they could.

Galadriel made quick work of the introductions, but it only slightly eased the tension in the room. Both groups continued to look suspiciously at each other.

"Now what's going on?" Buffy asked impatiently.

"I fail to see how this would concern you," Aragorn said.

"Because it's my job," Buffy said tersely.

"What is?"

"Fighting evil."

Boromir laughed. "You must forgive me for my outburst, but you do not seem like much of a threat."

Buffy rolled her eyes. Why was it always so hard for men to accept it? "I'm the slayer, the chosen one. Giles can explain it better. In fact, he loves making the speech."

Giles sent her a quick glare before saying, "Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. When one girl dies, another is called to take her place."

The fellowship just stared at Buffy as if they didn't believe it.

"I'll give a demonstration later if that will make you feel better, but right now I want to know what's going on."  
"To understand the present, you must understand some of our past," Celeborn said. "It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the elves; immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings."

Dawn's eyes widened as she caught a glint of something. On Galadriel's hand was a beautifully wrought ring of mithril.

~Do not yet speak of it.~ Came Galadriel's voice.

"Seven to the dwarf lords," Celeborn continued. "Great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine were gifted to the race of men. Within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race."

"Something tells me there are more to these rings," Spike mumbled.

Celeborn turned his eyes to the vampire. "You are correct. For another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron the Deceiver forged in secret a master ring to control all others."

"Into this ring," Galadriel continued, "he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all."

Buffy and Dawn noted that Frodo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had a pained expression on his face. Through their connection they began to have an inkling of an idea of what was going on.

Celeborn picked the story back up. "One by one the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the ring. But there were some who resisted. A Last Alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor. And on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth."

"In the battle," Galadriel said, "both the Eldar king Gil-galad and King Elendil of the race of man fell. Isildur, Elendil's son, took up his father's broken sword, Narsil, and cut the ring from Sauron's hand."

"At that time, Isildur could have thrown the ring back into the fires of Mount Doom, for that is the only way to destroy it."

"But he didn't, did he?" Giles asked.

"No, he did not. He took the ring for himself, but it betrayed Isildur to his death, for the ring has a will of its own. The ring was lost."

"Until now," Buffy surmised. She looked at Frodo, "And you have it."

A panicked look appeared on the hobbit's face.

"You're going to destroy it," Dawn said in understanding. "That's good."

Frodo relaxed somewhat.

"How did this fellowship get formed?" Giles asked.

"The ring found its way to Frodo," Aragorn said quietly. "A good friend of ours, Gandalf, learned that the Nazgûl were roaming..."

"Nascar?" Buffy asked.

"Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths. There were the nine kings of men who were twisted by their greed and lust for power. They are drawn to the one ring."

"And they were out looking for it?"

"Yes. Gandalf told Frodo that he needed to leave the Shire, his home. Gandalf left on an errand and the other three hobbits joined Frodo. They later met up with me and I took them to Rivendell.

"While we were there, a group of dwarves of elves arrived, along with Boromir. They all had a serious issue to be brought to Lord Elrond's attention." The scoobies ears perked up at the recognized name. "There was a council and Frodo volunteered to take the ring to Mordor and we volunteered to accompany him."  
"Sauron is massing an army as we speak," Legolas said fiercely. "Our only hope is to destroy the ring for it is the only thing keeping him alive."

The scoobies sat in deep thought, then one by one they looked to Buffy. The slayer shared a long look with her sister and then Spike before saying, "Well, good luck on you quest thingie. I hope everything works out for you."  
Aragorn blinked in surprise. "I thought it was your destiny to fight evil."

"It is, but I'm already involved in another war on our world. I can only fight one big bad at a time."

"Your world?"

Buffy looked at Dawn. "You didn't tell them?"

"It never came up."

The slayer gave the fellowship a slight smile. "We're umm, not exactly from Middle Earth. We're from just plain old Earth in another dimension."

Legolas' eyes widened as he studied Dawn. "You are Amaurëa, the Noldor who was transformed into the key of dimensions!"

"Looks like I'm not the only one who can read," Dawn said with a smirk. "Yes, this is my... new body, I guess. Although it's the only one I remember."

"I'm confused. What's a dimension?" The hobbit named Peregrin asked.

"There are other worlds than our own," Galadriel explained. "They are from one of those worlds."

This only caused the young hobbit to stare at them in wonder.

"Perhaps we should break," Celeborn said.

"Just in time for breakfast!" Peregrin said gleefully.

"You didn't eat breakfast?" Xander asked.

"Yes, but now it's time for second breakfast," Meriadoc explained. "We hobbits prefer six meals a day."

"Six meals," Xander said, clearly interested. "You guys sound like my kind of people. Would you like some company, Peregrin?"

"Sure, but call me Pippin."  
The meeting ended and they went off in separate directions.

********

After lunch, Buffy was walking around the woods alone. Spike was off exploring with an elf he had made friends with, Dawn and Draco were getting to know the hobbits, and the witches were with Giles and Celeborn somewhere talking about books.

She didn't mind being alone for a short time. It gave her a chance to relax and just be. But her solitude was soon interrupted for she came upon Aragorn sitting by a stream, sharpening his sword.

"Nice sword," she said as she sat next to him. She had noticed during the meeting that morning that something seemed to hover over his shoulders, some sort of burden.

"It is Anduril, forged from the shards of Narsil," he said softly.

"That sword that cut the ring?" At his solemn nod it clicked in Buffy's head. "You're the king of Gondor."

He looked at her in faint surprise. "No, but I am the heir."

Buffy looked away from him and seemed to look off in the distance. "I was fifteen when I was called as the slayer. At the time I didn't know what that meant or that vampires and demons were real. Merrick, my first watcher..."  
"Watcher?"

"They train slayers. Giles is my current watcher." She went back to her tale. "He opened my eyes to a new world and I hated it."

"Why?"

"Slayers rarely make it to their eighteenth birthday. I didn't want to die young, or be special. I just wanted a normal life."  
"What happened to Merrick?"

"He died protecting me. I fought to maintain a normal life for years. But when I turned eighteen I was put through a test, my powers were removed. I had never been more terrified in my life." She grew silent, and he waited patiently for her to continue.

"It made me realize that being the slayer was a part of who I was and I didn't want to change it. I was born to be the slayer and I finally accepted it."

"I do not yet know if it is to be my destiny to be the king," he said quietly. "But I will wear that mantle if I must."

********

"How did you take Legolas' bow and arrow last night?" Pippin asked.

"Pippin!"

"What, Merry?" Pippin asked as he turned to Meriadoc.

"That's rude."

"No it's not." He turned back to Dawn and Draco. "Well?"

"I'm a wizard," Draco answered.

"Like Gandalf?" Pippin asked faintly.

"I don't know, does Gandalf use a wand?"

"No, he had a staff," the hobbit said tearfully.

~Oh my god. Gandalf is the one they were talking about last night. He's dead.~ Dawn told Draco. She quickly gathered the two hobbits into her arms. "I'm so sorry."

They cried softly on her shoulders.

"I don't know how we'll make it without him," came Merry's muffled voice.

"You'll find a way," she said softly.

*********

The fellowship had been in Lórien for several days when Anya found Boromir sitting by himself, lost in thought.

"It's hard, isn't it?" She asked.

"What is?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Being part of a group, and yet not."

Boromir laughed self-consciously and looked away. "I do not know what you mean."

Anya crossed to him and sat down. "It's ok. I understand. I've been friends with those guys for years, but I still feel left out."

"Then why do you stay?"

"Because not many will accept me. They know who I am, but they don't care."

"And who are you, my lady?"

"Someone who no longer uses her powers to hurt others," she said evasively. "Plus, life is never dull with them."

"I sometimes wonder," he said after a few minutes, "if I should not have joined the fellowship. I'm not sure what I have to offer that differs from the others."

"Have you helped to save any of them?"

Boromir thought of saving Frodo from the Watcher of Moria, of carrying Merry and Pippin through the deep snows on the pass of Caradhras, and of fighting the orcs within Moria. "Yes, I have."

"Then I say you've contributed something."

*******

Two weeks had passed since the scoobies had arrived in Caras Galadhon. The gang was packing for their return to their world.

"I'm so excited that we get to keep the clothes," Buffy said.

"I know, we can play dress-up whenever we want," Dawn giggled.

"Dawn, we do not _play_ dress-up," Buffy admonished. "We put on clothes that make us look pretty and parade around in them."

"Sounds an awful lot like dress-up to me," Dawn said with a grin.

"I know, but dress-up is for kids, we're adults," Buffy said indignantly.

"If you say so."

All too quickly the scoobies found themselves packed and on the platform where they had first met Galadriel and Celeborn. The two elves were there along with the fellowship.

"Before you leave, we wish to give you some things to remember us by." Several elves stepped forward and they each received a grey cloak with a beautiful green leaf clasp.

Buffy, Dawn, and Draco were presented with bows and arrows. They each also received twin daggers. Spike and Xander were given Elven swords with sheaths. Anya was delighted with the delicately wrought mithril necklace, which she promptly put on. Willow, Tara, and Giles were given several books on lore and magic.

They began their tearful good-byes. Dawn had easily become close to the four hobbits once she was successfully able to block the presence of the one ring. Tears fell down her face as she said, "I will never forget you guys."

As Buffy hugged Aragorn she whispered, "The only way to be truly happy is if you embrace your destiny."

"I will do my best, my lady," he said gravely.

Willow and Tara surprised Celeborn by kissing his cheeks in farewell. The stern elf smiled and returned the favor.

"Tell Haldir we said bye," Dawn said to Galadriel as she hugged her.

"I will be sure he receives the message."

Before they were willing to admit, it was time. Dawn joined hands with Buffy and Draco and built her will. She quickly voiced the spell and the portal appeared. The scoobies stepped through.

Dawn turned and gave the fellowship a final wave and then closed the portal.

"I'm going to miss that dwarf," Xander said sadly.


	6. Back To Hogwarts

Hello all! Sorry this chapter is a little late. But my car of eleven years died and I had to go through the process of buying a new one since my husband and I had no other means of transportation. Then there was a migraine that knocked me on my ass for an entire day and of course work is crazy cause we have a show coming up in a few weeks which means I'm working overtime. This means the next chapter won't be up until Feb. 29. Sorry, but I'm swamped. Plus, I'm having a little bit of writer's block. I can write entire scenes in my head on my way to work, but as soon as I sit down to write I can't seem to get the damn words onto paper. Weird huh?

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A/N: I'm not British some I'm not entirely sure how the prefect system works, but I picked a way cause it did what I needed it to do. So please don't get mad at me for not getting it right.

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A/N2: There are tons of typos cause I just finished writing the chapter this morning and then typed it. Sorry.

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A/N3: Don't forget I have an update list. Those who were on it got an email last week letting them know I wasn't updating. If you want to be on it, just let me know.

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A/N4: (Damn I've got a lot to say) There has been no evidence yet as to whether Blaise Zabini is a boy or a girl and I've read stories where they are both. I've decided that Blaise is a girl. Just so you guys know.

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Review Responses:

John, no connection between the two wars just yet, it will be a while. The exposition was in part for you and for Buffy, cause after all, they don't know it either.

Calex, you will see more of the LOTR characters, but not for a while. I have a couple of other things to set up first. And I did warn you guys that there was something wrong with the last chapter that I couldn't seem to fix, sorry. I still haven't figured out what to do with it. I may just have to wait a while and then come back to it. And there is a specific reason why I didn't have Buffy show off her strength, but you won't understand until farther down the line.

Pandoras Box1, I totally understand the computer crashing thing so there's no need to apologize for the delay in reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed the little bit between Legolas, Dawn and Gimli. I had to do something different from her fawning over him.

PuNKyCoWGiRL, did you get my email about the beta thing? If not, email me so I can be sure I sent the message to the right address. And yes, they had to leave cause of their own war against Voldemort. But I promise there will be more interaction in the future, trust me.

luvin-echo16, there will be more LOTR action later on, I'm not finished with them yet.

dancetdplc, yeah, I thought things were rushed too in the last chapter, but I honestly haven't figured out how to fix it just yet. Like I said, I have this weird writers block thing going on and it's really driving me nuts. Course, that could just be the psycodelic painting we're doing for the set....

My reviewers are just the best!!!

Chapter Six

Back To Hogwarts

The scoobies felt strangely rested and relaxed after spending two weeks in the peaceful forests of Lothlórien. They were ready to start another year of Hogwarts.

"Is it me, or does the air smell funny?" Draco asked.

"It's the pollution," Giles explained. "The elves and men of Middle Earth take better care of their world. Of course, they haven't invented engines and machines so that could all change."

"I hope they complete their quest," Willow said as they headed inside Buffy's house.

"Aragorn will take care of them," Buffy said solemnly.

They were surprised to see two familiar figures sitting in their living room. Both of them stood when the group entered.

"Clem? Snape? What are you two doin here?" Spike asked.

"What are we doing here?" Snape asked incredulously. "You have the nerve to ask us that after you've been gone for an entire bloody month? We've been worried sick!"

"Sevie, what are you talking about?" Anya asked, moving to stand next to him. "We were only gone for two weeks."

"No, you've been gone for a month," he said slowly. 'You are all due back to the school tomorrow. Classes start in a week."

"That's impossible!" Xander said.

"Not really," Tara said. "It's possible that time moves slower in their dimension than ours."

"Is that possible?" Buffy asked.

"Oh yes. No two dimensions run on the exact same time," Anya said cheerfully.

"Then why didn't you mention that before we left?" Spike growled.

"You didn't ask," she answered simply. "I would have that you would, though. After all, I travel to different dimensions all the time. I've even created some alternate universes." She turned to Snape. "And what are you doing here? I thought you were off spying somewhere."

A shadow fell over Snape's face. 'I was exposed shortly after you left. Voldemort finally put all of the pieces together. I am unable to stay at my home so I've been staying at Hogwarts. I thought I would surprise you by being here when you got back so I apparated here on that day. However, all I found was this demon."

Clem smiled and waved. "I've been taping your shows for ya. I was starting to get a little worried."

"Thanks Clem," Buffy said.

"I guess we should just wash our clothes and then repack them, huh?" Willow said.

"I suppose we had better," Giles said.

The scoobies began filing out the door. "We'll be back in the morning," Xander said as he left.

"You Hogwarts' letters are on the dining room table," Snape told Draco and Dawn before leaving with Anya.

"Snape didn't try to hurt you, did he?" Dawn asked Clem.

"Nope, said he recognized me from Anya's description," he answered cheerfully.

"Has he been here the whole time?"

"For the past two weeks."  
"Did you tape everything?" Draco asked.

"Yes. You'll get to see every episode of Fear Factor."

"Thanks!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I guess we'd better get started then."  
"I'll see you guys later," Clem said as he left.

The two students walked into the dining room and saw their letters. Dawn frowned slightly as she picked hers up.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"It seems awfully heavy for just a note with our supplies listed on it."  
"Maybe your list is extra long," Draco suggested with a shrug. His eyes sparkled as he said, "You'll never know until you open it."

She opened the envelope and pulled out her letter. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as something else fell out. She bent down and picked it up off the floor. "I don't understand. It's a prefect badge."

"Read the letter," he said as he opened his own.

Dear Miss Summers,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as seventh year prefect for Gryffindor. The position was left vacant when Miss Granger was promoted to Head Girl. We expect to see you Monday night, August 25 at seven for the first prefect meeting. 

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Dawn could only gape in amazement. "I'm a prefect. Hermione is Head Girl. I wonder who the Head Boy is."

"Give you three guesses," Draco said.

She looked up at his smiling face. "You?" At his nod, she threw her arms around him. "Congratulations!"

"Same to you."

*********

Early the next morning they used a port-key to get to Diagon Alley. It took them several moments to adjust to the change in light.

"Damn. Forgot about the time difference again," Buffy mumbled.

"It's what, four o'clock here?" Willow asked as she looked around.

"Yeah. We'd better get moving if we want to be on time for that meeting," Spike said.

After checking to make sure Dawn and Draco had enough money, the group split to do their shopping.

Dawn couldn't help but giggle as she and Draco walked by Ollivander's. She could see, what were obviously first years, who were trying out their wands.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked.

"I was just remembering the ladder that went flying across the room when I was trying out wands."

"Why'd that happen?"

"Wrong wand."

"Oh. He gave me the right wand right from the start. He said something that didn't make sense at the time, but does now."

"What did he say?" Dawn asked curiously. She remembered that she had been told that she was a powerful witch, which she hadn't believed at the time.

"He said something like, 'Ah, Mr. Malfoy. I've been waiting for you. I believe this combination will work as well for you as it did your ancestor.' Then he gave me my wand and it fit."  
"So? What's in your wand?"

"It's a twelve-inch willow with slayer's blood in the core."

"That's Spike's wand! Which slayer?"  
"Kendra, I think."

"Oh my god! You so have to tell Buffy."

"Why?"

"She knew Kendra. She was the one who was called after Buffy died the first time."

"I thought that was Faith."  
"No," Dawn said with a shake of her head. "Faith was called after Kendra was killed by Druscilla."

"Oh. It would be kind of nice to know about whose blood I'm carrying."

They continued on until they reached their destination, Flourish and Blotts. They browsed through the shelves looking for their schoolbooks and other interesting titles.

"Hello Draco," came a female voice from behind him.

He turned to see Blaise Zabini smiling uncertainly at him. After Draco's brief stint as a spy the previous year, she was the one housemate who still confused him. She didn't have the dark mark, but she had hung close to those who had. She never antagonized any muggle borns in the school, yet she would verbally denounce them when around her housemates. Therefore, he had no clue where her loyalties lied.

"Blaise," he said cooling.

"We need to talk, but not here. Too many unknown eyes and ears."

"Are you still a prefect?" At her nod her said, "Then after the meeting tonight, Slytherin common room."

"Not there, somewhere else."

"Muggle defense room. Buffy had wards put up."

Blaise nodded. "I'll see you there." Then she turned around and left.

"That was interesting," Dawn said, stepping out from behind a stack. "Any idea what she wants?"

"Not a clue. You gonna come with me to the meeting?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You really think I'd let you go alone? Silly boy."  
"Hey!"

*********

Willow coughed as she stepped out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. "Couldn't we have used one of those port-key thingies? I mean, they're not much better with the nausea and what-not, but at least there wouldn't be anything choking me."

"Can't port-key onto school grounds because of the wards, remember Red?" Spike said as he dusted himself off.

"We could've port-keyed to Hogsmeade," Tara pointed out.

"Then why didn't you suggest it earlier?" Spike asked.

Tara grinned sheepishly. "Just thought of it."

"Welcome back," came a voice they all knew.

"Albus," Spike said. "How are ya doin'?"

"I'm doing well, William. How was your trip? Severus sent word about the differences in time passage."

"A beautiful world. They've got some problems of their own, though."

"Really?"

"Same old, same old. Some big bad wanting to rule the world," Buffy said. She rolled her eyes. "You'd think they'd come up with something new to rule for once."

Dumbledore chuckled. "They do seem to have one-track minds, don't they." He turned to Dawn and Draco. "Why don't you two get ready for the meeting? Your things will be sent to your rooms."

"Trying to get rid of us?" Dawn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I doubt we could hide anything from you for long. The meeting starts in half an hour. I thought you would like to get settled first."  
"Oh my gosh! Is it really that late?" Dawn cried. "I'd better go!" Then she rushed out the door.

"Guess I should go, too," Draco said as he turned to leave.

**********

Dawn knew that the prefects had their own room in the Gryffindor Tower so she went to the room Ginny and Hermione had shared the year before. It didn't take her long to find it and soon she was hugging Ginny.

"Dawn! We were so worried!"

"That's what I hear. Sorry. We had no clue."

"It's ok. I'm just glad you're okay."

"How was your visit to Harry's?" Dawn asked as she noticed her belongings and started unpacking.

"Wonderful. He's much happier now that he's not staying with the Dursley's. He came up here with me and Ron."

"Where's Hermione?" Dawn asked suddenly. She noticed there was another bed in the room that had already been made up.

"The Head Boy and Girl share an apartment-like room."  
"Then whose stuff?"

"Alicia Bronson, fifth year prefect. She's so excited that she left for the meeting fifteen minutes before you got here."

"She went to the meeting forty-five minutes early?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"I said she was excited," Ginny answered with a shrug.

"So what kind of an apartment?" Dawn asked after a few minutes.

"Separated bedrooms and bathrooms, but they share a living room space."

Dawn's eyes lit up. "A private room?"

"You can forget about it. I once heard Bill say that there are wards preventing those of the opposite sex into the bedroom. They can only have guests in their living area."

"Damn."

"We'd better head to the meeting."

********

Two hours later they emerged from their meeting.

~Are they always that boring?~ Dawn asked.

~Usually they're worse. Ready to meet with Blaise?~

~As I'll ever be.~

The two let their friends know they would catch up with each other later, then they headed to the arranged meeting place. Blaise was already there waiting for them.

Draco waited until Dawn closed the door, then asked, "What did you want?"

Blaise tucked a strand of her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ear. "I wanted to explain some things and then ask for a favor."  
"Go ahead," he said coolly.

"I wanted to start by telling you that I've never been a death eater, nor have I ever planned on being one."  
"Then why didn't you step forward last year with the other Slytherins? I know your parents are death eaters."  
"No. They're not."

"What?"

"They're spies, aren't they?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. I had them to think about. I wanted to make sure that they could handle the repercussions of my declaring a side. Of course, I had to wait until I was home for the summer to talk to them cause..."  
"An owl could have been intercepted," Dawn finished for her.

"It's a good story, not sure if I believe it though," Draco said thoughtfully as he studied his housemate.

Blaise just shrugged. "You can ask Dumbledore, he knows."

"What's the favor?" Dawn asked.

"I want to join the training sessions with you guys in the evenings. Can you arrange it?" Blaise watched as the couple seemed to communicate with each other.

Draco was the one who looked back at her and said, "We'll talk to Buffy for you."

A smile worked its way across her face. "Thanks."

**********

Draco wasn't surprised to see that Hermione wasn't in their rooms. He figured she was with the rest of the Gryffindors. He knew he could have joined them, but he honestly didn't feel like it, so he had told Dawn to hang out with her friends and not worry about him.

But that was the real problem. They were her friends, not his, with the exception of Ginny. She was the only one who accepted his love for Dawn from the beginning. While he and Potter had been able to put aside their differences during the last Christmas they had returned to just tolerating each other after the whole fake dark mark fiasco.

So he never really felt comfortable hanging out with the other Gryffindors. And the gathering that evening would be even worse since they hadn't seen each other over most of the summer.

Therefore, Draco had decided to curl up with a book instead. He had just gotten situated on a sofa in front of the fire when there was a knock at the door. With a small frown he got up to open it. Needless to say he was surprised by who was on the other side of the door. "Potter? Weasley? What are you doing here?"

The two Gryffindors fidgeted until Ron straightened his shoulders and said, "Mal - Draco, can we come in?"

Draco opened the door wider to let them by. "Guess so. Why aren't you with the girls?" He asked as they sat down.

"We decided to hang out with you Mal - Draco," Harry said haltingly.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"Harry and I talked about it earlier today and we've realized that we haven't exactly been the nicest to you since you started dating Dawn."  
"And since our girlfriends are the best of friends it might be a good idea if we were better friends."  
"Not to mention it would help if any of the girls decided to gang up on us," Ron said.

Draco stared at them in amazement for several moments before shaking himself out of it. "Let me see it I understand this. You two want to be my friends?"

Harry nodded and held out his hand. "What do you say?"

The blond thought it over. Their friendship could have its merits, like no longer feeling like an outsider wit his girlfriend's friends. He was being offered a chance to have friends who wanted to be around him because of himself and not because of his family name. 

With a smile, he shook Harry's hand, "I think I can accept that, Harry."


	7. Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Hello everyone! My muse is back full force if you can't tell by my massive update today on all of my fics, plus the addition of a new WIP. Anywho, just wanted to let you know that the next chapter will be up on Sunday March 7. Spring Break starts in a week and I plan on spending the entire week writing and getting ahead so it won't be so long between updates.

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A/N: I wrote a Sorting Hat song that took me forever, even though it's pretty short. Yes, I know it doesn't rhyme, but I have rhyming issues. It's not that I can't rhyme, its that I can't make it rhyme and say what I want it to all at the same time.

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Review Responses:

PuNKyCoWGiRL, luvin-echo16, Draco-FutureBF, John, Botticelli'sVenus, dancetdplc, Pandoras Box1 , andMegeara Angela Nicole McGwire, thank you guys so much for all of your reviews!

Harmoni9, thanks for the review for this and for She Hated Hospitals. I'm glad I was able to keep you in suspense, it was all part of my master plan.

SPASH Panther, yes you will see more of the ME people, I'm not done with them yet. As for my updates I always inform you when I will update and the very beginning of each update. I almost always update on Sundays, usually in the mornings, so you can always check then if you forget.

My reviewers are just awesome!

I also want to thank PuNKyCoWGiRL because she's my new beta! Plus she came up with the title for this chapter! I'm sure I've nearly driven her crazy with sending her a bunch of chapters this week. Thanx PuNK, you're fabulous!

Chapter Seven

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

The girls were gathered in Dawn and Ginny's room to have a mini-sleepover so they could catch up on everything that had happened since the last time they had seen each other.

"So what was Middle Earth like?" Ginny asked as she started brushing Hermione's hair.

"It was fabulous," Dawn answered with a smile. She opened a bottle of nail polish and started painting her toenails. "I mean we were only in Caras Galadhon, but it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was so peaceful that the days passed by so quickly that our two weeks were over before we knew it."

"What were the elves like?" Hermione asked.

"How does impossibly beautiful sound?" Dawn asked in way of answering. "Beautiful is really the only way to describe them, even the men. And they had this amazing ability to stay neat that I don't think I'll ever figure out how they did it."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"For example, after we had been there a week, a group arrived. They were from all the different races - man, dwarf, elf, and even hobbits. And they were all dirty and worn out - except for the elf. He looked like all he needed was a two-hour nap. I swear there wasn't a speck of dirt on him."

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Didn't you mention once that you had read that elves and dwarves don't get along?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, but it turns out that group was on some sort of quest thingy to destroy this evil ring. They stopped at Caras Galadhon for a rest."

"What kind of evil ring?" The bushy haired brunette asked.

"Oh something some big bad made to rule the world, what else?"

Ginny giggled. "I'm surprised you guys didn't stay behind to help."  
"Don't think it didn't cross our minds," Dawn said as she closed the bottle of polish. "But we figured we had our own world to save. So we decided to just concentrate on one world at a time."  
Hermione nodded and said, "That makes sense. You wouldn't want to spread yourselves too thin."  
"Exactly. So how was your guys' summer?"

"Boring compared to yours," Ginny said.

"Oh come on. You guys got to spend time with your honeys. You can't tell me you didn't go sneaking around during the night."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like it's easy sneaking around the Weasley household. Every time you turn around you trip over one of them. Ron and I even tried hiding in the garden, but Fred and George kept finding us."

"You know they searched you guys out on purpose," Ginny teased.

"I know," Hermione sighed.

"What about you Gin? You stayed at Harry's."

"Their place is small that Harry had to stay in Remus' room... with Remus."

"Sorry," Dawn said with no small amount of sympathy.  
**********

Unsurprisingly, the girls beat the boys to breakfast the next morning. They had already filled their plates when the boys entered the Great Hall.

"Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed.

"What?" Dawn asked as she lifted her head to look. As she caught on to what her redheaded friend had seen she whispered, "Oh my god."

After hearing both of her friends' exclamations, Hermione followed their gaze and her jaw dropped.

What was causing their amazement was the fact that Ron and Harry entered the Great Hall laughing and talking with none other than Draco. What was even more surprising was that Draco walked with them over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Dawn.

Dawn narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are you three up to?"  
Draco looked at her innocently. "What do you mean?"

"The three of you have _never_ been _that_ chummy before," Ginny said shrewdly. "What's going on?"

The Slytherin looked at Ron. "Is anything going on?"

Ron shook his head. "Not that I know of. Harry, is anything going on?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Draco?"

"I think we're good. See, there's nothing going on. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hermione said, "So the fact that the _three _of you were laughing and talking, and that the _three_ of you walked over here and sat down together means nothing is going on?"

The three boys nodded their heads and began filling their plates.

"And speaking of that," Dawn said as she studied her boyfriend. "What are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be sitting at the Slytherin table?"

"Do you not want me to sit next to you?" Draco asked.

Dawn could see hints of the pain her question caused in Draco's gray eyes. "It's not that I don't want you to, but aren't you _suppose_ to sit at your house table?"

Draco shrugged. "There's no rule saying I have to sit there for every meal. Besides, a little display of unity between the houses could be helpful."

Hermione's eyes brightened as she energetically nodded her head. "That's a good idea, Draco. We should split up every once in a while and sit at other tables."

Ginny sent a mock glare to Draco. "Now see what you have done?"

He just shrugged as if to say, who me?

"But this still doesn't explain why the three of you are actually being civil to each other. You're almost.... friendly."  
"It's simple," Ron said. "Harry and I decided that since the three of you are the best of mates that we were going to have to get along with each other somehow. So we decided to bury the hatchet, so to speak. Besides, we guys need to escape from you women from time to time."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "You need an escape from us?"

Draco muttered under his breath, "Weasley, you stupid git."

"Well not so much escape, it's just us guys need some man time together away from you prissy girls."  
Ginny arched an eyebrow. "And now we're _prissy_?"

Harry started whispering feverishly. "Shut up, Ron. Shut up."

"Well, yeah. You girls can't expect us to hang around you all of the time. And besides, the three of us gives us better odds."  
"Better odds against what?" Dawn asked coolly.

"You know, whenever you guys gang up on us. Like what you're doing right now!" Ron said indignantly.

"Oh, we're ganging up on you now?" Hermione asked in fake surprise.

"Weas-Ron, will you just stop and think before you open your mouth to speak?"

The girls all turned to Draco. "Did you just call him Ron?" Dawn asked.

"Yes."

"Huh," was all she could say.

They turned their attention back to Ron, who had by this time realized what he had been saying. He smiled nervously. "I'm sure you girls understand. Sometimes, you know - like last night - you girls do your... girl thing... so we were off doing our... guy thing..."

"Uh huh," the girls said as the three looked at each other, stood up, and took their plates to another spot at the table.

Ron looked at Draco and Harry, "What did I say exactly?"  
"You wouldn't understand," Draco said with a shake of his head.

As Buffy walked by the boys she stopped and asked. "What did you guys do?"

"Why does it always have to be us?" Harry asked in exasperation.

"Because I noticed that the girls got up and walked away from you, not the other way around."

"Weas-Ron just shoved his foot in his mouth, that's all. It's nothing to worry about."  
She lightly nodded her head. "Yeah, you guys are good at that."

"Dawn and I need to talk to you and Spike later," Draco said.

"Not a prob, you know how to find us," she said as she continued to the professor's table.

********

"What did Dumbledore say about Blaise's parents?" Buffy asked as she and Spike were patrolling the dark forest that night to see what had changed over the summer.

Spike shrugged. "Said she was telling the truth. Her parents have been spies from the beginning. They were never true members of the order, like Snape was."

"But do you really think we should train her?"

"Luv, I think we should do whatever we can to help her. She's already taking Muggle Defense, what's the harm of the extra sessions?"  
"But I feel like that is encouraging her to fight. These kids are too young to involve themselves in this war," Buffy argued.

"Buffy, these kids are already involved whether you want them to be or not. And even if they aren't now, they will be once they leave this school. Blaise is a seventh year, it's her last year here, and she's worried about her parents. We either help her or she'll find help somewhere else."

Buffy sighed. "I guess so."  
"When do..." Spike began before something sprang from the bushes and landed on top of him, knocking him over.

The slayer went to grab Spike's attacker, but stopped when she realized what it was.

"Bloody hell! Fang, get off me!"

Buffy laughed as she watched Hagrid's dog lick Spike's face.

"Sorry abou' tha'," came Hagrid's voice from behind her.

"It's ok," Buffy said between giggles. "What are you doing out here this late, Hagrid?" She asked as she calmed down.

"I was out lookin' for Firenze. Thought we could catch up."

"We saw him on the path about fifteen minutes ago."

"Thanks. It's good ta' see you're back, Spike. I like knowin' that the Dark Arts class isn't cursed like the kids say it is. Come on, Fang," he called as he started down the path.

After giving Spike's face one last lick, Fang jumped off and followed his master.

"Bloody dog," Spike grumbled as he wiped the dog slobbers off his face.

"I don't know," Buffy said lightly. "I think he's kind of sweet."

"What was all that rubbish about my position being cursed?" He asked from the ground.

"You honestly never heard the kids talking about it?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"No, what?"

"Ever since Harry started school here, no DADA professor has lasted longer than a year. The fact that you are here for a second year proves the theory wrong."  
"You know me, luv. Always liked breakin' the rules," he said as he stood and dusted himself off.

As they started down the path, Buffy asked with a little giggle, "What were you going to say before you were so viciously attacked?"

"I was going to ask when you wanted to start the extra training," he answered darkly.

"Let's start the day after classes begin. We've got enough things to take care of this first week without adding this on top of it."  
"Sounds good to me."  
**********

True to Buffy's word, between the prefects meetings, creating duty rosters for hall patrols, and learning the duties of a prefect, the week passed quickly. Before they knew it, they were sitting with the rest of the students in the Great Hall waiting for the first years to enter and be sorted. Because of the formality of the evening, Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table next to Blaise.

At the Gryffindor table, Dawn sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"I feel like a dork."  
"Why?"  
Dawn gestured tot he pointy hat sitting on top of her head. "No wonder muggles have such crazy stories about us. You know - pointed hats, riding around on broomsticks - really! I feel like I'm a walking cliché. Might as well call me the Wicked Witch of the West and I should be going around threatening dogs and trying to steal ruby slippers."  
Hermione and Harry laughed, as they were the only ones to understand Dawn's references.

Before Ron and Ginny could question them, Seamus leaned over and asked, "Are ya guys havin' those special trainin' sessions this year?"  
"Yeah, why?" Harry asked.

"I was wonderin' if I could join."  
"I don't see why you can't," Hermione said. "Might want to ask Buffy and Spike though."

"You're going to be joining us, aren't you Neville?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. I've been practicing over the summer," Neville answered.

Further conversation was prevented by the entrance of the first years, led by Professor McGonagall.

"They all look so scared," Dawn whispered. "Did I look like that last year?"

Ginny smiled and said, "No. But you did look a little green in the face when the sorting hat started to talk."  
"Well it's scary, it gave me the wiggins. Hats shouldn't talk."  
McGonagall gave her short speech about the sorting ceremony as the stool and the hat were placed in front of the first years, who stared at it with wide eyes.

Dawn actually paid attention to the song the hat sang this year since she really had nothing to be nervous about.

__

Come closer all you first years

There is nothing here to fear.

Just place me on top of your head

And I'll tell you where you belong.

Perhaps you should be in Gryffindor

With the others who are brave and daring.

If you are loyal and just,

Then it is to Hufflepuff you'll go.

Ravenclaw will be perfect for those

Who value learning the most.

Only one other house to be placed in,

That the past year has wrought changes in.

The Slytherins are cunning and shrewd

But there you might find your real friends.

But from deep inside my brain comes a worry,

That the year will be filled with danger.

And evil hand that stretches out

Will bring two worlds together.

Inside the walls of Hogwarts

We must band together as one.

However, those few who once were solid

May be stronger when they become divided.

Hopefully you've listened to all I've said,

Let the sorting now begin.

After all the first years had been sorted, Dumbledore stood and said, "I have a few start of the term announcements. As usual, the forbidden forest is strictly that - forbidden. No magic is to be performed in the hallways. Professors Summers and Spike would like for you to know that they offer extra training sessions in the evening for any of you who wish to have more practice outside of class. My final words are woogedy, persnickety, and kadoo. Let the feast begin."  
As he sat down the food appeared in front of them. Dawn smiled at the wonder on the first years' faces, but her expression quickly became serious as she turned to talk to her friends about the sorting hat's song.

"It sounded fairly ominous, don't you think" Hermione said. "I don't think I've actually heard it warn us before."

"Things must be getting pretty bad for it to do that," Dawn said as she filled her plate.

"Guess we should stay on our guard then," Harry said with a sigh.

"When are we not?" Ron asked around a mouthful of food.

**********

The following night, Blaise entered the muggle defense room for the extra training with Dawn and Draco. Once Dawn learned that Dumbledore confirmed the Slytherin girl's story, she easily accepted Blaise's friendship. She had found her to be a quiet, but extremely witty girl.

As usual, they were the first to arrive, so they began stretching as they waited for the others. Seamus and Neville walked in shortly after that and Dawn and Draco braced themselves for the inevitable outburst.

But Seamus surprised them by turning to Neville and muttering, "I still don't understand how we didn' know she was on our side."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because, you stupid git, that's one of our traits. Remember - sly, crafty, devious. You weren't supposed to know, that's part of the idea of being a spy."  
"He's right," Spike said as he and Buffy entered at the end of the conversation. "If she had said anything before it could have blown her parents cover and have serious repercussions for them."  
"Oh, like she's not blowin' it now?" Seamus exclaimed.

"Things might be a little tough for her parents now, but the fact that so many Slytherins are defying their parents it's not singling the Zabinis out. Their cover is safe."

The rest of the Gryffindors arrived a few minutes later and Buffy and Spike called for their attention.

"Now I hope none of you forgot what we taught you last year," Spike said. "But just in case, we want you to take turns sparring."  
"I want to see Ginny and Blaise first," Buffy said.

When everyone had had a turn, Buffy and Spike smiled at them. "Not bad guys," the petite slayer said. "You didn't forget that much. We'll start the more serious stuff tomorrow. You can go."


	8. Reaching Out

Hi everyone! Hmm, I wrote the wrong date on the last update. I meant to say March 14 instead of the 7th, I only just realized this, and I'm really sorry. My spring break is nearly over and I didn't write as much as I thought I would. However, I already have half of the next chapter written so it will be up next Sunday.

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Review Responses:  
I hope I don't miss anybody cause of that weird thing at ff.net where I wasn't receiving review alerts, or able to read them from the sight. It was kind of freaky. So if I miss you, thank you anyway!

SPASH Panther, John, Boticelli's Venus, Pandoras Box1, thank you guys so much for your review!

Village-Mystic, Thank you for your reviews for both this and it's prequel. I've had quite a few people say that they wanted more Xander, but I honestly have trouble writing him - mainly cause I don't really care for his character much, but he is still part of the group so I try to put him in a bit.

Mija, I went back and checked in my books and Aragorn did have Anduril, he refers to it specifically when they arrive at Rohan. I know in the movie he didn't get it until near the end so maybe that's where you got mixed up.

As always, my reviewers just kick ass!

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A/N: Like I've said before, I'm not finished with ME yet. They start coming back into play, hopefully at the end of the next chapter. If not then, they are definitely in the one after that.

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A/N2: I just have to do this. You guys should really check out harmoni9 story, Keep Me Safe. It's really good!

Also, thanks to my beta PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Alright, I'll shut up now and let you read this chapter that is a week late.

Chapter Eight

Reaching Out

Ron hummed lightly as he walked through the corridors. He was on his way to his first private wicca lesson of the year. He had missed the two wiccas that he thought of as his own sisters. His mind made an intuitive leap, in a sense they were. Wiccas tended to think of themselves as a sisterhood, and as a wicca practitioner he was a member. Only, he wasn't a sister, he was a brother.

Since wicca magic was undetectable by the ministry, he had been able to practice all summer. Ron never went further than what they had taught him, but he had wanted to keep in practice.

Willow and Tara were waiting for him when he walked into the room. "Hi," he said as he sat down.

"Are you ready?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, do you want to do a review?" He asked.

"No, we want to start something new," Willow said.

Tara sat down across from him. ~It will be difficult, but we think you can handle it.~

Ron started slightly. He swore he hadn't seen Tara's lips move when she had said that. "How did you do that?"  
~That's what we're going to teach you.~ Came Willow's voice inside his head.

"I thought only Dawn, Ma-Draco, and Buffy could do that."  
Willow smiled. "They're not the only ones. Their connection is just different than ours."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked as he shifted slightly in his chair.

"Their connection is not merely to hear each other's thoughts. It's also a way to show their destiny together and Dawn can pull from their power at times to complete her magics with the portals."  
"Ok. I guess that makes some sense," Ron said slowly. "But how are you able to do it?"

Tara smiled. "Our way is a bit different. We can only scan the top layer of thought. We can't dig to discover someone's darkest secrets. It's just a way for us to communicate."  
"Why didn't you teach me this last year? It could have come in real handy."  
"You weren't ready last year," Willow explained. "This is tricky stuff. It's going to take you a while to master it."  
Ron sat there thoughtfully for a few moments. "Will I be able to do this with everyone?"

"No," Tara answered gently. "This will only work with people you're close to. You'll be able to do it with us for sure because we're more sensitive to it and you've been around our magicks enough that you know how they feel. And since you're such good friends with Harry and Hermione you'll probably be able to talk to them. But we're not sure about everyone else; they may take more effort."  
The redheaded Gryffindor scrunched up his face. "Do you think we could pull magic this way?"  
"Not that we've heard of," Willow answered.

"Could I look into it?" Willow and Tara looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "What?"

"You're volunteering to do research?"

"I've got a thought in my head, and maybe... I don't want to say anything until I've had a chance to look into it."  
Willow studied him for a moment before saying. "Sure. I'm not going to stop you from learning. Just be careful with what you read. We can even give you suggestions on where to start."

"That would be great."  
~Are you ready to begin?~ Tara asked.

************

The next night Dawn sat in the same classroom waiting for Willow and Tara to arrive. She really didn't understand the need for this meeting. She practiced her elven magicks enough that she really didn't need the extra sessions. Especially since her abilities, at times, almost seemed endless, although some of her attempts did leave her a bit worn out. Not to mention her talks with Galadriel had helped immensely.

So she was a little confused as to why Willow and Tara wanted to meet with her. All that they would tell her is that they wanted her to try something new.

She didn't have to wait too long for the wiccas to show up. "Hey Dawnie," Willow said as they entered.

"What's this thing you want me to try out?" Dawn asked as the two wiccas sat in front of her.

"Dawn, did you ever test the range of your connection with Buffy and Draco?"  
"No. I tried connecting to Draco once when we weren't in the same room, but I couldn't."

"When was that?" Tara asked.

"When we couldn't find him that weekend he got the fake dark mark."  
Willow's face lit with understanding. "He was probably under a magically induced sleep. That could have prevented you from reaching him."  
"Oh, never thought of that," Dawn said in slight surprise. "You want me to try this out now, I'm guessin'."

"I suppose you could start later, but now would be good," the redhead said with a laugh.

Dawn closed her eyes and concentrated. She knew that Draco and Buffy would be in the extra training sessions so she cast her thoughts in that direction. The brunette gasped softly as she felt Draco's familiar presence. ~Hi, honey!~ She could feel him jump in surprise.

~Where are you?~ He asked, looking around.

~The wicca training room.~

~That's on the other side of the castle. How are you doing this?~

~They wanted me to test our reach. Apparently I can reach you anywhere in the castle.~

Draco smiled as he felt her joy flow through him. ~Have you tried this with Buffy?~

~What is she doing?~

~At the moment, she's just standing and watching.~

~Ok, hold on for a sec.~ A moment later she was connected with Buffy, too. ~Well that's just neat.~

~Have you told Willow and Tara?~ Buffy asked.

~Uh, no. Maybe I should do that.~

While Dawn was still connected to them, Buffy and Draco could feel her pull away slightly to talk to somebody else.

~They want me to try something else with Draco.~ Dawn said after a moment. ~So, I'm going to leave you Buffy.~

~Alright. I'll keep Draco out of the sparring until you're done.~

~Thanks! Ok, Draco. Hold on again until Willow explains this better.~ He waited patiently until she returned. ~What I'm going to do may feel kind of funny, I think. But just relax and trust me.~

~I'm trusting away.~ Draco said a bit nervously, not sure of what she was talking about. Then he felt Dawn's presence surround him and gently set his conscious off to the side. He couldn't control his body, but was still able to see.

~Oh my god! That is so freaking cool!~ She squealed.

~What? What'd you do?~

~I'm seeing through your eyes.~

~Huh?~

~I can see Buffy and Spike and Neville and everybody.~

~Prove it.~ Draco said, not fully sure if he believed her.

~Blaise just knocked Seamus on his butt.~

~Doesn't work. You don't have to see through my eyes to know that. She's always doing that.~

~Ok, how's this? Neville just hit Ron in the head.~ Dawn said triumphantly.

~Fine, you can see. Could we reverse this so I can see through your eyes?~

~I don't know. Let me ask.~ Dawn said and he felt her gently relinquish control back to him. ~They think you can, I just need to walk you through it.~ Dawn said excitedly.

He followed Dawn's instructions and before long he was looking at Willow and Tara. "Wicked," he said through Dawn's lips.

"Draco?" Willow hesitantly asked.

"It's me. This is pretty wicked."  
Willow laughed. "Ok, let her go. There's a few more things we want to talk to Dawn about."

The Slytherin withdrew. ~They want to talk to you. Can I go back to sparring?~

~Yeah. It's cool that I can talk to you whenever I want to.~ She could feel him smile.

~It is.~ Then her presence left him entirely.

"Now what?" Dawn asked when she was fully back in the room with Willow and Tara.

"We're going to teach you how to communicate with everyone telepathically." Willow said cheerily.

"But I already tried that remember? Back when you first learned that I could do this with Draco and Buffy."  
"Yes, but that was trying to do it with your connection. We're going to teach you the way we do it."  
"Oh, ok."  
*********

A week later, Padma Patil and Lavender Brown showed up to the extra training session while Dawn, Draco, and Blaise were stretching.

"Hi," Dawn said with a small smile as the two girls looked nervously around the room.

"Are we early?" Lavender asked.

"Just a little bit, but we always come early to stretch," Dawn explained.

"Guessin' you're here for some extra training," Draco said with a slight smirk.

Padma nodded. "I don't want what happened to Parvati last year to happen to me."  
"Same here," Lavender said.

Dawn nodded in understanding Parvati Patil was one of the few students who had died in last year's attack on the school.

"My mom almost didn't let me come back to school this year, but I convinced her otherwise. I promised her that would make sure that nothing would happen to me," Padma said softly.

"That's impressive," Dawn said. "A couple of years ago I'm not sure if I would have been able to convince Buffy if something like that had happened. Heck, Buffy was nervous when they rebuilt Sunnydale High."

"Why?" Lavender asked.

Dawn shrugged. "Maybe because she had to blow up the last one because the mayor turned into a giant snake demon during graduation." They all looked at her with wide eyes. "Looong story."  
Buffy and Spike walked into the classroom. "Glad to see you guys could make it," Buffy said. "We'll start when the others get here, but until then you can stretch."

************

The following Monday morning, Ron, Harry, and Dawn were discussing quidditch during breakfast.

"It's going to be harder fitting practices in this year," Dawn said. "Our classes seem harder, and so do the extra sessions."  
"I think we have a bigger problem than that," Ron said as he took a bite of his biscuit.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Who is on our team?"

"The three of us, Ginny, Seamus, Talan, and Caleb."

"And how many of us graduate this year?"

"Over half the team," Dawn said in horror.

"I think that puts next year's team at a severe disadvantage," Ron said.

"Gees, Ron. We haven't even played one game this year and you're already worried about next year?" Harry asked in surprise.

"It's more than that," Ron stressed. "Think about it. We're not just playing for ourselves, but for our team and house. If we all disappear, Ginny is going to be left with the task of rebuilding the team next year."  
Dawn studied him for a minute. "Why do I have the feeling you already have a solution to this problem?"

Ron grinned. "Not only will it help next year's team, but us, too."

"What are you thinking, mate?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I think we should hold try-outs and fill a second house team. Then we train with them."  
"Oh! And we could have scrimmage games. Kind of like a varsity and jr.-varsity teams!"

The two boys stared at Dawn in confusion.

She sighed. "In high schools in America we play a game called football. Not British football, but a different football. To us your football is soccer." Harry at least seemed to understand that part.

"Anyway, they have two teams - the varsity and jr.-varsity. Varsity is what everybody watched and is usually all upperclassmen. Jr.-varsity play games too, but they're just inexperienced. But the important thing is that they play pretend games together called scrimmages to help the younger players. This way when the upperclassmen graduate, the lower classmen can easily fill their shoes."  
"See," Ron said with a pleased look on his face. "It's the perfect plan."

"It is," Harry said. "I'll talk it over with McGonagall."  
***********

That Friday night, Dawn and Draco trailed behind Buffy and Spike as they patrolled the dark forest.

"Heard you guys were having quidditch try-outs," Draco said. "I thought you had all of your positions filled."  
"We do."  
"Then why the try-outs?"

She sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep it from him for long. "Ron came up with the idea of recruiting younger players who might be on the team next year so we could play mock matches with them. Plus, to help out next year since over half the team graduates."  
"We-Ron came up with that?"

"Yeah. He's actually a pretty good strategist. I think it comes from all of the wizard's chess he plays."

"Huh, not a bad idea," Draco said thoughtfully.

"So how is your team coming, Mr. Slytherin Captain?"  
"Oh, I get to do what Ginny was going to have to do until you guys planned ahead for her. I lost most of my teammates due to graduation or the fact that they were death eaters."

"I'm sorry."  
"It's alright. We'll still give you Gryffindors a run for your money."  
They grew silent as they caught up to Buffy and Spike, who seemed to be searching for something.

~What's up?~ Dawn asked as she linked the four of them together.

~There's something up ahead.~ Buffy said. ~But we're not sure what it is yet.~

~It's not trying to hide. It's making too much noise.~ Spike said, his voice hollowy and echoy through the connection.

~Shall we get a closer look?~ Draco asked.

The four spread out and began creeping their way towards the noise. As they got closer they could hear a distinctly feminine voice calling out, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

~It looks like Clem.~ Buffy said. ~Except she's a girl... I think.~

~Clem's race is friendly, right?~ Dawn asked.

~Yeah, just make sure we make a lot of noise so she'll hear us coming.~ Came Spike's echoy reply.

The female demon looked like she was ready to bolt when the four of them stepped out of the bushes.

"It's ok!" Buffy said, holding her hands up. "We're not here to hurt you."  
The demon looked at her funny. "You're not afraid of me?"  
Dawn laughed, "No."

"I don't think I've met a human who wasn't afraid of me."

"We're not normal humans."  
She looked confused. "You look human. And you kinda smell human." Then she looked at Spike. "You do know that he's a vampire, right?"

"It's alright, pigeon," Spike said. He pointed at Buffy and said, "She's the slayer."

At that statement the demon looked even more frightened. "I didn't hurt anyone slayer, honest. I don't hurt people."  
"I know," the tiny blond said. "Your kind is friendly to humans. My name is Buffy." She continued as the demon relaxed. "This is Spike, Dawn, and Draco. Can we help you with anything?"  
She smiled kind of sheepishly. "My name is Tilly. I seemed, well, I seem to have lost my supper."  
"Oh, ok," Buffy said. "Would you like some help?"  
"I'll find her. Thanks though. This happens a lot."  
"That's the downside to eating something with four legs," Dawn said.

"Guess so. You guys have fun," Tilly said as she started off. She began calling, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty."  
"She seemed nice," Buffy said. "Maybe we should hook her up with Clem."


	9. Passing Time

Hello all! The next chapter is all ready for you. The next one will be up on next Sunday, I promise.

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Review Responses:

Hinomi, SPASH Panther, Draco-FutureBF, thank you guys for your reviews!

Mija, don't worry about it. I get confused with things too. I've been going back and forth between the movies and the books to decide what I wanted to use from each of them.

harmoni9, have no fear there is a little ME in this chapter, and there will be more from here on out. And yes I'm telling them to read your story, it's fabulous!

Pandoras Box1, I _love_ Bend It Like Beckham! My husband kept complaining every time they said football, he kept correcting them. He's so weird sometimes, but I love him anyway.

John, I hope to bring Tilly back in later, maybe.

Tanydwr, thank you for the reviews with everything. I haven't had a chance to read yours yet, I've been busy with work, writing, auditioning, and I've been sick. And I can't really comment on killing Voldie just yet, you'll see why much farther down the line. And how is my British-speak? Just checking since I'm American.

My reviewers just kick ass! You guys are awesome!

Oh, I had problems naming this chapter and I'm still not happy with it. If any of you could give a suggestion, I would appreciate it!

Thanks to my beta PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Nine

Passing Time

The rest of September passed without an incident and by the beginning of October the students and the teachers fell into the dull tedium that was school life. So when Dumbledore called in the scooby gang, minus Dawn, they were surprised.

"What's wrong, Albus?" Spike asked as he petted Fawkes.

"I'm afraid Voldemort is up to something."  
"When is he not?" Xander asked. "Isn't it the nature of bad guys to be 'up to something'?"  
Dumbledore smiled faintly at him. "I have received word from Miss Zabini's parents. Voldemort has been concentrating his efforts on finding a talisman of power. One that could give him enough power to take over the world of magic, and quite possible the entire world."

"Did they say what talisman?" Willow asked.

"They're not high enough in the ranks to be privileged with that type of information. One night at a meeting he told his followers that he would soon be in possession of a talisman that would give him unlimited power," Dumbledore said sadly.

"Guess that means research, huh?" Xander asked with a heaving sigh. "Dumbledore, you need to get doughnuts here, 'cause research without doughnuts is not very enjoyable."

Anya rolled her eyes. "Xander, when is research enjoyable?"

"Point taken, but at least with doughnuts there's food."  
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "There is always food available."  
"I know, I just miss the doughnuts."  
"Can we move past the doughnuts?" Anya asked in exasperation. "There are all sorts of talismans out there that can give him that kind of power and none of them should be taken lightly."

"We'll let the kids know," Buffy said. "That way they can help."

"Is it necessary to involve the students?" Snape asked, speaking up for the first time.

"They'll find out eventually anyways," Buffy said. "They're not exactly idiots, they know the signs of major research."

"I'm well aware of that," Snape said slowly. "I just worry that we're taking away too much of their childhood."  
"These kids gave up their childhood a long time ago. Harry especially since he never really had a choice." Spike said with a sad look. "I think they'd be offended if we didn't include them. I know the 'Bit would be."

Snape just nodded his head and said no more.

"Do the Zabini's know if Voldemort knows where the talisman is at?" Tara asked Dumbledore softly.

"From what they gathered, he does not."  
"Then that means we still have time," Giles said. "That can be to our advantage."  
"We'll get started right away," Buffy declared.

**********

"Hey Dawn," Ron said as he walked into the wiccan classroom. "What are you doing here tonight?"

"Willow and Tara asked me to join your session tonight."  
"Did they say why?"

"They wanted us to test something together," Dawn answered simply.

Before he could question her further, Willow and Tara entered the room. "Good, you're both here," Willow said.

"Yeah, but why?" Ron asked.

"We've been teaching both of you telepathy. Since both of you can talk to Tara and I, we thought you guys should try talking to each other," Willow said cheerfully.

"So you've been forced to endure this torture, too, huh?" Dawn asked Ron dryly.

"I think it's pretty wicked," Ron said defensively.

"Ron, why don't you try talking to Dawn," Tara suggested.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. Willow and Tara's minds shone brightly because he'd talked with them many times. Ron steadied himself and reached out some more. He smiled slightly when he sensed a strong amount of energy beside him. ~Dawn?~

~Hey! You found me!~

"I take it you did it," Willow said as she took in their smiles.

Ron opened his eyes. "She wasn't that hard to find."  
Tara looked at Dawn. "Your turn."

While connecting with Draco and Buffy had been easy right from the start, Dawn had been having lots of problems connecting telepathically with Willow and Tara. She took a deep breath and relaxed. She found the two women fairly easily, but couldn't find Ron.

After several minutes of trying, she sighed and opened her eyes. "I can't find him."

Willow pursed him lips in thought.

"Let's try something different," Tara suggested. "Ron, connect with her again."

He nodded and found her easier this time.

"Now Dawn, I want you to follow Ron's thought back to him," Tara instructed gently.

Dawn raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She did as she was asked and soon found herself in Ron's head instead of the other way around. "Ok, that worked."  
"Now break the connection," Tara said and waited until Dawn nodded her head. "Try connecting again, only without Ron's help."  
She sighed and nodded. Again, Willow and Tara were within easy reach. As she relaxed more she could sense Ron hovering on the fringes of her awareness. But it seemed as if every time she tried to grab it, it just slipped through her mental fingers.

The brunette relaxed some more and soon Ron became a stronger presence. Not trying as hard this time, she gently reached out and was able to connect.

~It's about bloody time.~ She said. ~Great, I've spent way too much time around you Brits.~

Ron just cheesily smiled at her.

************

"It feels so good to get away, even if it is just for one day," Dawn said as she stepped out of the carriage. It was the middle of October and the first Hogsmeade weekend. "I'm so tired of studying and researching. You'd think after all of these years I'd be used to it, but I'm not."  
"Where to first?" Draco asked, holding out his arm.

"I don't care, I just want to spend a leisurely day of shopping."  
"You know we can't do that," Harry said with a smile. "Something always comes up."  
"Yes, but I'd like to think of it as a leisurely day of shopping. Don't spoil it," she ordered.

"Ok, ok!" Harry said.

"What do you guys have planned?" Dawn asked Ginny.

"Nothing much, but I need to go to Honeydukes first. Wanna come?"

"No, I still have plenty of sweets to last me a while, but thanks." Dawn looked at Ron and Hermione as Ginny and Harry left. "What about you guys?"

"I've got something special planned," Ron said hastily and dragged Hermione towards Three Broomsticks.

"That was kinda weird," Dawn said. "'Mione never mentioned any special plans."  
"Because she didn't know," Draco said mysteriously, with a big smile on his face.

Dawn warily looked at him. "You know what's going on. What's up?"

"It'll be ok, Dawn. Ron actually came up with another good idea. There may be hope for him yet," Draco chuckled as he and Dawn started walking down the street.

***********

"Ron, why won't you tell me what's going on?" Hermione asked as he led her down the street. "First, you're acting strangely. Then you drag me to Three Broomsticks only to make me wait outside by myself while you go in."

"Hermione, just trust me."  
She narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything more as Ron continued on. But her silence was ended when he started to lead her out into an open field.

"Ronald Weasley! Why are we out here?" She asked. She continued walking and looking around. She hadn't noticed that he had stopped and set a few things up behind her back. "What _are_ we doing out here?" Hermione asked again.

"Hopefully having a picnic," he said with a smile.

Hermione turned around and noticed a large blanket laid out on the grass with food and a picnic basket. "A picnic?" She asked in surprised.

"Well, yeah. It's kind of to makeup for the fact that we didn't get to spend a lot of time alone together at my parents' house. Plus, the next to no time alone here. So I told Harry and Draco to make sure the girls stayed far away from us today."  
"Oh Ron," she cried as she threw her arms around him. "This is the sweetest thing you have ever done for me."  
A goofy smile appeared on his face. "I try."  
"How did you set all of this up?"  
"I owled Rosmerta earlier in the week asking about a picnic basket. That's why I had to go into Three Broomsticks alone, so I could pick it up."  
"You planned this that far in advance?"  
"Yeah. If I was going to do something for you, I wanted to make sure I did it right. How'd I do?"

She kissed him in way of answer.

*********

The next Saturday, Wayne Hopkins sat down between Dawn and Neville at the Gryffindor table during breakfast. "You excited about today's match?" The Hufflepuff asked.

"I guess so," Dawn said with a smile. "Ravenclaw's team wasn't that tough last year, and now that Cho's graduated I'm not sure how good their new seeker is. But it still should be a fun game."  
"Are we having extra training tonight?" Wayne asked. He had started taking the extra session just the week before. 

"Nah, they usually give us the night of a quidditch game off."  
"Ok. Good luck today," Wayne said as he stood.

"Thanks," Dawn said as he headed back to his table.

"Do you really think it'll be an easy match?" Hermione asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "When did the Ravenclaws ever give us much of a challenge?"  
*********

Dawn smiled as the bludger she hit nearly knocked Stuart Ackerly off of his broom. She just loved playing this game.

Ravenclaw was giving them a bit more trouble than what they had originally thought, but they were still far in the lead point wise. Dawn knew it was only a matter of time before Harry caught the snitch.

She looked over at her best friend and saw the redhead had a huge grin on her face. She loved playing the game as much as Dawn did. But Dawn wondered if she would enjoy playing the game as much without her. For a brief moment, Dawn seriously considered the possibility of playing quidditch forever. Just so she could be paid to spend her time up in the air, feeling the wind on her face, the freedom of the sky.

Dawn noticed that Ravenclaw was setting up a play so she looked over a Ginny who flicked her braid off to the side. The brunette nodded and she dropped low to the ground. She raced to the end of the pitch and suddenly flew upwards, missing Orla, one of Ravenclaw's beaters, by a mere six inches. The move successfully distracted Orla and Dawn hit the bludger that the Ravenclaw had been going for. It caused Stuart to drop the quaffle once again.

Ginny shook her head. It seemed that Dawn was out to get Stuart that day. Everything that Dawn did seemed to be aimed at the poor boy.

She looked up in search of her boyfriend. Harry was calmly circling the field, looking for the snitch. Ravenclaw's new seeker, Justine, didn't seem to have Cho's skills. The third year seemed more interested in watching Harry than looking for the snitch. Ginny rolled her eyes. It seemed that even after all this time, some of the students couldn't get over the shell shock of seeing the-boy-who-lived.

The redhead was brought back to the present when she heard Ron's voice screaming in her head to duck. She instinctively followed it and a bludger whizzed right where her head was. "That was close," she muttered, then sent a funny look over at her brother. It seemed he had been keeping things from her. Since when could he talk in her head? They were going to have a long talk after the game was over. Which, judging by the announcement, it was since Harry just caught the snitch.

***********

Boromir peered into the darkness. There was something strange about the log that was floating down the Anduin River. He didn't hear Aragorn step up silently behind him.

"Gollum," Aragorn said quietly. "He has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would loose him on the river, but he's too clever a waterman."

The log came to a stop on the shore of the other side of the river. "If he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous."  
They were unaware that Frodo, who listened with worry, overheard their conversation. But Sam drew his attention from the men.

"Have some food, Mr. Frodo."  
"No, Sam."  
"You haven't eaten anything all day," Sam protested as he set the plate down. He had watched his best friend for the past six days, ever since they had left Caras Galadhon. "You're not sleeping neither. Don't think I haven't noticed." He paused before crossing to him. "Mr. Frodo..."  
"I'm all right," Frodo insisted.

"But you're not. I'm here to help you. I promised Gandalf that I would."  
Frodo looked sadly at Sam and softly said, "You can't help me, Sam. Not this time. Get some sleep." As Sam walked away, Frodo's attention went back to the two men.

"Minas Tirith is the safer road," Boromir said, turning to Aragorn. "You know that. From there we can regroup, strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."  
"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us," Aragorn said evenly.

"You were quick enough to trust the elves. Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found in men, but you will not see that." Aragorn turned to walk away, but Boromir roughly grabbed his arm and turned him back around. His voice rose as he spoke. "You are afraid! All your life you have hidden in the shadows, scared of who you are, of what you are."  
Aragorn shook him off and turned to walk away. At the last moment he whirled around and stepped in close. His voice was a harsh whisper. "I will not lead the ring within a hundred leagues of your city!"

************

Dawn sighed as she set the book she was reading down. She looked around the scooby common room and everybody was deep into the books. She sighed again. "Buffy, I'm going to take this back to my room. It'll be more comfortable."  
"Ok," Buffy said absently, not looking up from her book. She never saw Dawn roll her eyes as she gathered her things.

Ginny peered over the edge of her book and watched Dawn leave the room. She noticed that she wasn't the only one watching. Draco waited all of two minutes before saying, "I think I'm going to bed, I'm kind of tired." Buffy just waved him off.

The redhead grinned. She had a feeling Dawn was going to research, it just wasn't going to happen in their room. She held her book up higher to hide the huge grin on her face, never knowing that Anya was doing the same thing.

Anya knew she wasn't exactly the smartest person in the room, but she was one of the more observant ones. She knew that the two teens were going off somewhere to snuggle, but who was she to ruin their fun? She, herself, was not getting enough alone time with Severus.

It amazed her how the man could be so cold and cruel in public, and yet so warm and caring when they were alone. It had taken her some time to get past his caustic comments, but once she did, she had found a perfect mate. Snape didn't try to change her, he liked her just the way she was. He was never telling her to be quiet or that she wasn't being tactful. As a matter of fact, he encouraged her to speak the truth and what was on her mind. For her, it was a refreshing change of pace.

Looking around, a mischievous grin appeared on her face. Not really needing an excuse to leave the research session, she closed her book and went off in search of her Sevie.


	10. Something's Wrong

Hi guys! The next chapter will be up next Sunday - April 4.

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Review Responses:

Draco-FutureBF, SPASH Panther, John, thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Face, have no fear, there is Legolas and Pippin in this chapter. And even more Legolas in the next. Faith will be in chapter twelve, and I think you'll be quite pleased at the reason she's there.

harmoni, you're not the only one who likes the Snape/Anya pairing, Face can't seem to get enough of the two. And there will be loads of ME from now on, trust me.

Pandoras Box1, I love Sam too, and I had already written this chapter when I had received your review, so I think you might be pleasantly surprised by something. And I'm glad you like my Ron, he does seem to get shafted in other stories doesn't he? I actually read a really good story that puts him at the forefront called The Point Of No Return. You can find it listed in my favorite stories list since it was finished ages ago. And yeah, my husband can be cute at times - when he's not driving me nuts. (Hee hee, really, he is the best. He fixed my computer for me this week in time for me to do all this updating.)

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LOTR Info:

Elbereth is kind of like a swear word - used like Merlin or god.

If you would like a map of ME to help you out, here is an absolutely beautiful one that I've got pinned up on my wall to help me remember where they all are. If you look at Mordor, the lake they are at in this chapter is to the NW. You won't see it called Parth Galen, but you will see Sarn Gebir. Just as a warning, the map is large and will take time to load.

Thanks to my beta PuNKyCoWGiRL!

You guys should really check out harmoni9's story Keep Me Safe here on ff.net. She's almost finished it and it is well worth the read!

Chapter Ten

Something's Wrong

Aragorn approached Frodo, who stood under the Seat of Seeing. He was relieved to find the hobbit for he had been worried when they discovered that he was missing. "Frodo?"

Startled, Frodo turned to face him. "It has taken Boromir."

The man stepped closer and asked, "Where is the ring?"

"Stay away!" Frodo cried, scrambling away.

"Frodo?" Aragorn asked in confusion, and the hobbit stopped. "I swore to protect you."  
"Can you protect me from yourself?" Aragorn sighed softly as Frodo opened his hand to reveal the ring. "Would you destroy it?"  
He slowly approached the hobbit, staring at the ring. In the back of his mind he could hear a dark voice calling. "Aragorn.... Aragorn... Elessar." Understanding Frodo's concern, he closed Frodo's hand with his own. "I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor."  
"I know. Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand," Frodo said, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

Knowing what Frodo planned to do, Aragorn could only nod. He saw that Frodo's sword, Sting, was glowing blue, signaling the approach of orcs. "Go Frodo!" He said as he stood and drew out his own sword. "Run." Seeing Frodo's hesitation, he pleaded, "Run!"

Frodo turned and ran. Aragorn stepped out from beneath the Seat of Seeing to find a troop of Uruk-hai, Saruman's twisted version of the orcs, advancing. A half-smile appeared on his lips as he held his sword up to his face in a salute.

************

It was the middle of the night on Halloween when Hermione entered the common area that she shared with Draco. After the party, she had gone back to the Gryffindor Tower and cuddled with Ron on one of the sofas. At four o'clock she had decided that she needed to get a few hours of sleep before classes the next day.

Hermione smiled softly as she studied the picture before her. Still in their elven costumes, Dawn and Draco were asleep together on the sofa. The couple had bedazzled the entire school that night. They had charmed their ears so they were pointed and Draco's hair so it was longer. Wearing the clothes they had received in Caras Galadhon, they looked like they stepped out of a fairytale.

She knew that it wasn't entirely proper for two students to sleep together, even though they weren't doing anything but sleeping. Plus, she knew things weren't always easy for them and she knew how hard it was to spend time with someone you loved.

The head girl went into her room and grabbed an extra blanket. She carried it back into the common room and covered her two friends with it.

***********

Merry and Pippin ran across a stone bridge only to stop at the far end when they saw a group of Uruk-hai running towards them. They turned to run back but another group was coming from that direction.

An Uruk came towards them with its ax raised, ready to strike. But at the last minute, Boromir knocked it back before stabbing it with his sword. He threw his knife, killing another. Boromir raised the horn from his hip and blew into it three times. "Run! Run!" He yelled at the hobbits.

The man ducked and flipped an Uruk over him and then stood and ran his sword through the next one. He raised the horn again to his lips. Boromir led the hobbits to a more defensible position.

He cut the arm off of another while the hobbits tackled one together and killed it. He paled slightly as he saw the approach of more Uruks. Pushing the hobbits onward, he covered their retreat. Boromir crossed swords, with another, not knowing that Merry and Pippin had stopped after several feet and were now throwing rocks.

Boromir knew he was not going to survive this battle, but if it meant keeping the hobbits safe then he would die knowing he had served the Fellowship well. It was the least he could do for betraying Frodo earlier that day. He swung his sword time after time, cutting his foes down one by one.

An arrow whizzed through the air, hitting him in the left shoulder. He could feel the poison that covered the tip enter his bloodstream and he knew that the end was near. Still, he fought on, determined to take as many of them down as he could. Another arrow hit him in the stomach. He dropped to his knees, gasping, but in sheer desperation he stood again, cutting down another Uruk. He felt another one go deep into his chest and he fell to his knees again, this time unable to go on.

Horrified, Merry and Pippin raised their own swords and charged the Uruks. But instead they were roughly picked up and carried away from a dazed Boromir.

The Uruks ran passed the now incapacitated man who could only watch helplessly from the ground He looked up at a lone Uruk who raised its bow for one final shot. Boromir looked defiantly into the thing's eyes and accepted his fate.

Only to have Aragorn crash into the Uruk, sending the arrow off in a harmless direction.

***********

Draco awoke and looked down at the beauty sleeping next to him, his angel. As he studied her flawless features he briefly wondered what he had done to have such a precious creature love him. A little over a year ago he was a sniveling, spoiled, little prat. And now, well he was still spoiled up to a point, but he was a fighter for the greater good. And all because of Dawn.

Merlin only knows why she had trusted him back at the beginning; he had never given her a reason to. But somehow she had instinctively known what he was capable of and not so gently pushed him towards it. Not that he had any regrets, only wondered how he got so damn lucky.

He looked up and realized how late it was. He nudged Dawn slightly and kissed her forehead. "Wake up," he whispered. "We need to get ready for class."  
Dawn groaned and buried her face in his chest. "Don't wanna. Wanna stay right here with you." Then she pulled the blanket over her head.

Draco laughed softly. "We have potions first and you know how Snape is."

She threw the blanket off her face. "You'd think being with Anya would loosen him up a bit."  
"No such luck." Then suddenly realized that they were covered, he studied the blanket. "Hermione must have covered us up last night."  
"I thought for sure she'd stay in the Tower last night," Dawn said with a sly grin. "Still it must have been late. I don't think we fell asleep until after two."  
"Either way, we need to hurry," Draco said, kicking the blanket off. "We're going to miss breakfast as it is."  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Men and their food." She placed a quick kiss on his lips before heading to the door. "I'll see you in class."

************

Aragorn panted slightly after killing the last Uruk. He saw Boromir lying on his back and ran over to him. "No," he said softly, as he dropped to his knees beside the injured man.

"They took the little ones," Boromir choked out, his voice full of emotion.

"Be still."

"Frodo, where is Frodo?" The dying man asked desperately.

Aragorn sighed as he stopped inspecting the injuries. He looked his friend in the eye. "I let Frodo go."  
"Then you did what I could not," Boromir said, gasping for breath. "I tried to take the ring from him."  
"The ring is beyond our reach now."  
"Forgive me, I did not see it. I have failed you all."  
"No, Boromir," Aragorn assured him, "you fought bravely! You have kept your honor." He went to remove the arrows, but Boromir grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Leave it! It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness... And my city to ruin."  
A determined look appeared on Aragorn's face as he spoke with a voice filled with conviction. "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, or our people fail."

"Our people? Our people," Boromir echoed. He reached out for his sword, but his body failed him. Aragorn placed the hilt into his hand and Boromir clasped it firmly to his chest. He fought to say his final words, "I would have followed you my brother, my captain, my king!"

Aragorn touched his hand to his forehead and then to his lips in respect for his fallen comrade. "Be at peace, son of Gondor." He bent and kissed Boromir on the brow as Legolas and Gimli finally reached them.

********

Dawn stared off into space as she absently stirred her potion. Blaise saw that her potions partner was about to ruin their assignment by stirring it too much. She reached over and stopped her. "What's wrong, Dawn?"

"Huh?" She asked, startled.

"You're usually great with potions, but you nearly ruined this one. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Dawn said, with a puzzled look. "I just have this feeling that something is wrong."  
Blaise lowered her voice. "Does it have anything to do with he-who-must-not-be-named?"

Dawn's eyes flickered over to Harry and she noticed he was rubbing his scar as he stirred his own potion. "I don't know," she answered, turning back to her partner. "I really can't tell."

Blaise nodded and went back to slicing the boomslang skin. However, Dawn could tell that something was happening, she just didn't know what.

***********

Frodo looked out across the lake, Parth Galen, as he faced his moment of decision. Not wanting to place his friends in any more danger, he tucked the ring into his pocket. He pushed one of the boats out into the lake and got in. As he began paddling, Sam emerged from the forest.

"Frodo, no! Frodo! Mr. Frodo!" Sam cried, stopping as the water reached his ankles.

Not looking back, Frodo softly said, "No Sam." He heard splashing and he turned to see Sam wading out into the lake. "Go back, Sam! I'm going to Mordor alone!"

"Of course you are, and I'm coming with you!"

"You can't swim! Sam!" Frodo cried as his friend continued out until the water went over his head and he sank beneath the surface. "Sam!"

Frodo furiously paddled back and reached in to grab his friend. He pulled Sam out of the water and into the boat.

"I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise! 'Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to! I don't mean to."  
As Sam began crying, Frodo hugged him with tears in his eyes. "Oh, Sam. Come on."  
The two hobbits continued paddling across the river.

************

Lunchtime found Dawn absently picking at her food as she tried to figure out the cause of her belly rumblings'. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. Looking at Harry she saw how red his forehead was. Apparently she wasn't the only one getting strange feelings.

Suddenly a shiver ran through her entire body and she heard a faint buzzing in her head. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think something just happened."  
*********

Legolas shoved the remaining boat into the water. "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." He turned to see Aragorn staring sadly across the lake. After a moment, the elf understood. "You mean not to follow them."  
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

"Then it has all been in vain! The Fellowship has failed," Gimli said in a resigned tone as he and Legolas walked up to Aragorn.

A glint appeared in the man's eyes. "Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left..."  
Cutting Aragorn off was a cry from across the lake. The three turned to see Gollum attacking the two hobbits. Knowing that they could never reach them in time, they could only stand and watch.

"Elbereth!" Legolas cried as a strange light appeared behind the hobbits.

Then the light grew until two figures dressed in black with strange masks stepped through it and grabbed Gollum. They dragged the creature through the light with them. As the light began to collapse upon itself, Frodo and Sam, who were still reeling from the attack, fell through it and disappeared.

The three were left standing there, staring in helpless horror.

**********

It happened so quickly that if Draco hadn't been looking at Dawn from across the room, he would have only seen the aftermath.

Harry screamed while clutching his head. Then Dawn gasped loudly and they both passed out.


	11. Taking Charge

Hi guys! I would love to say that the next chapter will be up next Sunday for Easter, but I can't guarantee it. So check next Sunday, and if it's not there, then it will definitely be up the following Sunday.

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Review Responses:

lark277, ladyofthedragons1, thank you guys for your reviews!

John, I'm sorry that the chapter was a little too mysterious for you, but hopefully things will be explained in this one. If you're still confused just ask, and I'll explain away.

harmoni, I know, I'm cruel. And you are right, you do leave me hanging, a lot. But there are some answers in this chapter.

Pandoras Box, yeah there could be worse places for that scar. I would have never thought of it until you pointed it out, though. You naughty person you. This chapter doesn't leave you hanging quite as much as the last one did. And I know it was sad about Boromir, poor guy. But I just love his brother, he was such a sweetie.

vampy the chosen one, it's ok that you came late into the story, the important thing is that you're here now. I'm glad you like Dawn in this fic. I pretty much hated her character until the beginning of the last season. She just suddenly seemed to grow up and wasn't as annoying, so I tried to put that personality into this fic instead of the annoying one.

Face, I'm sorry they weren't there enough. I'm afraid Legolas is in this chapter, but probably not enough to satisfy you. I promise that Faith is in the next chapter, and you'll find out why in this one. I hope it makes you happy. I've had to sit down and rewatch my tapes to get a feel for her again. And Sevya? How in the world did you come up with that. You may just start new lingo with that term.

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LOTR INFO:

There's not much here for me to say, since the important info is given out in the chapter. But I did notice that stupid ff.net wouldn't let me put the link for the map in the last chapter. So if you would still like to look at the map, I'm going to post the link in my bio, so just go there for it. :)

Thanks to my beta PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Eleven

Taking Charge

Dawn awoke with a gasp to see Draco worriedly hovering over her. "Thank Merlin!" He cried, pulling her into his arms.

"We've got trouble," she said. "All of us need to meet in the scooby common room." ~Buffy, gather the scoobies. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. And see if Dumbledore can get Remus and Sirius here also.~

~What just happened?~ Buffy asked.

~I'll explain when everybody is together in the scooby common room. I don't want to repeat myself, we don't have time. Go, Buffy!~ Dawn turned her attention back to Draco. "Make sure you get Blaise. Go now." She gently shoved him towards the Slytherin table.

Dawn looked at Harry, who had also come to. "I'm already gathering them," she said. "We'll talk about it when we get there." She looked at the others, "Scooby common room now." 

When the people Dawn had requested quickly got up and left the Great Hall, a lot of whispering started. Neville knew that something important was happening and he wanted to be a part of it, so he got up and followed.

Only a few minutes after Dawn had started giving orders everybody was gathered in the designated meeting spot. "Did you get a hold of Sirius and Remus?" Dawn asked.

"They should arrive any moment now," Dumbledore said, curiosity burning in his eyes.

"Good."  
"What happened?" Buffy asked, slightly unnerved by the way Dawn was taking control. 

"Not until Remus and Sirius get here," Dawn insisted.

It was then that Buffy had noticed that Neville had joined them. "Neville, what are you doing in here?"

"I want to help," he firmly said.

Buffy looked like she was about to protest, but then decided against it and just nodded her head.

About that time Sirius and Remus entered. Sirius crossed immediately to Harry and pulled his godson into a huge hug. "Are you ok? Dumbledore said you fainted."

"I'm fine," Harry said.

Dawn stood up, pulling everyone's attention to her. "I'm sure you're all wondering what happened and why I've called all of you here. Harry, I'm guessin' you had a vision of Voldemort, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you tell them what you saw, then I'll tell what I saw. It might make more sense in that orders," Dawn said as she sat down next to Draco.

Harry nodded. "All I know is that Voldemort was pleased and then suddenly was very angry. And all I saw was some strange little creature."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the talisman he's been searching for?" Dumbledore asked.

"I think so," Harry answered, his face scrunching up as he tried to remember. "I think he thought he found it, but he didn't."  
A wry smile appeared on Dawn's lips. "But he did find it. He just doesn't realize yet."

"Why? What do you know?" Snape asked.

"The reason I fainted was along the same reasons that Harry did, except I had a little talk with Galadriel," Dawn said choosing her words carefully. 

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked.

Dawn sadly looked at her. "The ring is no longer in Middle Earth."  
"Oh that's not good," Tara whispered.

"Ring? What ring?" Blaise asked.

"When we went to Middle Earth this summer we met this group who were setting out to destroy an evil ring. A ring that had enormous power," Dawn quickly explained.

"The talisman," Dumbledore said.

"Precisely. The ring is no longer in Middle Earth and neither are Frodo and Sam."  
"But I didn't see any other people," Harry protested. "Just that funny looking creature."  
"I think the best thing to do is to open a portal and bring the rest of the fellowship here," Dawn said. "After all, they were there so they can tell us what happened. Galadriel didn't even know what exactly happened."

"Do you know where they are?" Buffy asked as she stood and crossed to her sister.

"Yes, Galadriel did know that." Dawn quickly linked up with Buffy and Draco and before long, a portal was opened in the middle of the scooby common room. "Spike, can you cross through and get them while I hold this open?"  
"Sure thing, 'Bit." Spike stepped through the portal and found himself on the shore of a lake. He heard a noise behind him and he turned to see Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli packing.

They were startled to see the vampire. "What are you doing here?" Aragorn asked.

"Somethin's happened that concerns all of us. You need to come with me."

"We can't, we're losing precious time," Gimli argued.

"It'll be all right, mate," Spike assured him. "Time moves faster in our world than it does in yours. You won't be losin' as much time as you think."

Gimli still looked unsure, but he and Legolas looked to Aragorn for the final decision.

"Look, we think we know where the ring is," Spike said, hoping that would sway his decision.

"You know where Frodo and Sam are?" Aragorn asked in surprise. 

"Not exactly, but we have an idea. Now are you coming?" Spike asked impatiently.

"Very well," Aragorn said.

"Where's Boromir, Merry, and Pippin?" The blond vampire asked, looking around.

"We'll explain when we get there."

Then the four of them stepped through the portal. Once everyone was in the common room, Dawn shut the portal. The three members of the fellowship uneasily looked around their surroundings as if they expected something to jump out at them any minute.

It was Buffy who spoke up first. "Aragorn, where's Boromir and the hobbits?" 

The ranger wearily sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "We were attacked by a group of Saruman's Uruk-hais, they were after the hobbits. They didn't want them dead, but alive. Saruman knew that one of them was carrying the ring, but did not know which one. Boromir died trying to prevent their capture."

A sad expression on Anya's face as a few tears leaked out. In one of his rare public moments, Snape asked softly, "Are you ok?"

She nodded. "He had been worried about whether he belonged with the fellowship or not. Whether he would ever contribute anything."

"It took three arrows to put him down," Aragorn said gravely. "But Merry and Pippin were taken."

"Hobbitnapped," Xander said.

"Frodo was worried about the ring destroying the fellowship," Aragorn continued, ignoring Xander's outburst. "He left and Sam went with him. We watched to make sure they crossed the lake safely, but Gollum attacked them when they got out of the boat."

"Gollum?" McGonagall asked.

"He possessed the ring until Frodo's Uncle Bilbo found it. Gollum had the ring for over three hundred years and wants it back," Aragorn explained before going back into his story. "But in the middle of the attack was light and two men stepped out of it."

Legolas looked at Dawn. "It was very similar to the portals you open, except it seemed unstable."

"The two men with masks grabbed Gollum and went back through," Aragorn said. 

"What did they look like?" Dumbledore asked. Aragorn briefly described the masks for him and Dumbledore sadly nodded. "Death eaters."

"Then Frodo and Sam fell through at the last minute," Aragorn concluded. "We were just preparing to rescue Merry and Pippin when Spike appeared."

"I think Frodo and Sam are in our world," Dawn said.

"Why do you think that?" The ranger asked.

Buffy spoke up. "Do you remember that war we mentioned we were fighting against Voldemort?" Aragorn nodded. "It seems our bad guy thought our world wasn't enough. He's looking for absolute power and he's somehow heard about the ring. He must have captured Gummy thinking that he still had the ring."  
"Then he must have Frodo and Sam," Gimli said.

"No, he doesn't," Harry said. "I know because I have a connection with Voldemort. Sometimes I see through his eyes. Frodo and Sam didn't come through the portal there, only Gollum."  
Dumbledore's face was a portrait of deep concentration as he prompted, "You mentioned this portal was different from Dawn's."

"It was ill defined and seemed to waver," Legolas answered. With his sharper elven eyes, he had the best view of the portal.

"And when did Frodo and Sam fall through it?" The old wizard asked.

"Right before it closed," the elf answered, slightly confused.

"Ah, I believe that because the portal was not stable, when Frodo and Sam fell through it, they fell into a different part of our world."

"Merlin! They could be anywhere," Ron said in a disbelieving tone.

Silence descended on the group as the enormity of what had happened fully set-in. They knew that their next move would be crucial and had to be soon.

Dawn sighed. She knew they weren't going to like what she was going to say, but she knew it had had to be. Galadriel had told her that several things needed to happen in order for them to save both worlds. "Some of us need to join the fellowship."

Aragorn shook his head. "I cannot place anyone else in danger."

"Danger is our life," Buffy said simply. "We've grown somewhat used to it. And she's right. You're gonna need help. It's just a matter of who goes."

"Either way we do it, they're going to need to fighters," Spike said. "Which means me an' the slayer."

"Which would include me and Draco," Dawn said.

"No, Dawn. You stay here, you still have school left, remember?" Buffy said. 

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Buffy, we can't be in two different dimensions. How am I suppose to open a portal that way? I need you and Draco."

"We could have Anya move us."

"My powers don't work that way," Anya said. "I can only move myself through dimensions."

"Then we'll send someone else," Buffy said.

"Who?" Dawn asked. "Willow and Tara aren't the kind of fighters they need, and Xander isn't enough by himself. It has to be the four of us."

Buffy hated to admit it, but her sister was right. "Fine. We need to find a way to communicate with Willow and Tara, though."

The brunette smiled. "Not a prob. Galadriel told me how to do that while they sleep."

"This still doesn't mean I'm happy with this," Buffy said darkly.

"Do we not get a say in this?" Aragorn asked.

"Merry and Pippin are our friends, too," Buffy said, as she turned to look at him. "We want to help."

"I believe Harry should go with you," Dumbledore said, interrupting them.

"What?" Cried half the room.

"You can't send him!" Sirius protested. "It's too dangerous."  
"Yes, it will be, but he'll be in more danger if he stays here, especially if Voldemort finds the ring."  
"Headmaster, you must surely be jesting," Snape said.

"I'm afraid not, Severus. He'll be much safer in Middle Earth," Dumbledore said softly.

"Then I'm going, too."

They all turned to stare at Ginny who had a defiant look on her face.

"He's my boyfriend and I love him. I'm not going to let him wander off into another dimension without me."  
"Ginny! Have you lost your mind?" Ron cried. "Mum would kill me if she found out I let you go."  
"Then she'll just have to kill you then won't she?" The look on her face was eerily reminiscent of Willow's resolve face.

Buffy must have understood for she said, "Fine. But no one else. Six people are enough. The rest of you need to stay and find Frodo and Sam."

"Very well," Aragorn said, realizing they were going to join them no matter what. "Let us be on our way."

"We need to change and pack first," Spike said.

"Take only what you can carry," Aragorn instructed. "We need to travel light."

"Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes," Buffy ordered.

*********

Fifteen minutes later they were back in the scooby common room. Dawn and Draco lent some of their elvish clothing to Harry and Ginny so that they could blend in easier in Middle Earth. Buffy and Spike had also changed and the six were similarly dressed like Legolas.

Buffy, Dawn, and Draco had their twin daggers and bows that they had been given. Xander went into his room and reappeared with the cloak and sword he had been given.

"Here, Ginny, these should help," he said.

"Thanks," she said, as she strapped the sword on.

Harry strapped on the sword Buffy gave him. It felt rather awkward, but he was sure he'd get used to it.

"I wish I had more time to teach you how to use it, but I guess you'll learn as you go," Buffy said with a sigh.

"Remus, I need you to do me a favor," Spike said, walking over to the werewolf.

"I'll try. What is it?"  
"Albus is letting me choose my temporary replacement. I know how much the kids respect you and I want you to take over for me."

Remus' eyes widened. "But I can't. My condition."  
Spike snorted. "You're a werewolf, so what? I'm a vampire. You're the only one I trust to take over other than the Watcher, and he already has a class. Please. For the kids."

"In that case, yes," Remus said with a small smile.

"Thanks, mate. The plans are on the desk." He went to go back to his things then stopped as something occurred to him. "I guess my position is cursed," he muttered softly to himself.

"Buffy, have you made any arrangements for your class?" Dumbledore asked. 

"Yeah, I sent a letter to Faith and Wesley. They should hopefully be here tonight or tomorrow. If they can't come then Giles and Xander can juggle their schedules around to cover my classes. But I'm pretty sure Faith will come, and probably Wesley."

Harry watched as Hermione went around placing charms on things. "What are you doing?"

"I'm charming your canteens and bags so that they'll hold more, but not weigh more. I'm also charming your cloaks with a warming spell."  
"Thanks, 'Mione. You think of everything."

She looked up at him with tears swimming in her brown eyes. "Well someone has to. You're hopeless on your own." The tears fell as he pulled her to him. "You take care of yourself Harry James Potter."  
"I will. I have the others to help me," He just held her tight as she cried on his shoulder.

"Virginia Weasley! Don't you dare think about leaving until you tell us goodbye!" Molly said, as she stormed in with the rest of the Weasleys.

"Ginny's jaw dropped as her mother pulled her in close. "What are you doing here, mum?"

"Dumbledore told us about your decision," Arthur said. "We wanted to make sure we all saw you off."

"Young lady, I want you to know that I'm not happy about this," Molly said sternly as she stepped back to look her daughter in the eye. "But I couldn't be prouder of you. Make sure that you do exactly what Buffy and Spike tell you."  
"I will mum," Ginny said, tearing up.

The scoobies did their own farewells as the Weasleys' did theirs. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli stood off to the side, waiting as patiently as possible.

"We really need to leave," Aragorn said urgently, after several minutes.

Dawn nodded and pictured the lake again. She linked with Buffy and Draco and opened the portal. One by one they stepped through and then Dawn closed it from the other side.

The only sound in the room was the soft crying of those left behind.


	12. A Little Faith

Hello everyone! I barely got this one done for you. I'm afraid that the next chapter won't be up until Apr. 25. I'm just too busy to be able to post next weekend, I'm sorry. Plus, the story is getting more complicated and I have to spend more time writing each chapter to make sure that they make sense.

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Review Responses:

ladyofthedragons1, thank you for your review!

John, not all of them are going to ME, just six of them. They are going to help Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find Merry and Pippin who were kidnapped (or hobbitnapped, whichever you prefer). The rest are staying behind to find Frodo, Sam, and the Ring. It was a way to split everyone up and have action on both worlds.

harmoni, there are a few out there where the HP group go to ME, but they are rare (of course, I don't read a lot of HP fics either).

SPASH Panther, I'm trying to do something different than them just joining the fellowship, which has been repeatedly done. I know I'm sort of doing that too, but I hope to change things enough to where it is a different story.

vampy the chosen one, thank you for saying that you would wait patiently for the next chapter. You have no idea how much it drives me crazy when the review I get only demands for an update. And I'm glad you like Dawn, too. She has rather grown on me.

Pandoras Box, yeah, Hermione does kind of take care of them. She's almost like their mother at times I think. And Remus will be around for quite some time now. I'll probably put Sirius in here a little bit more too, just not sure yet.

My reviewers just kick ass!

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LOTR Notes:

Sam mentions lembas in this chapter. It's just a type of bread that sustains you. Legolas mentions that one bite can fill a grown man's stomach. It's considered a real honor if it is made for you cause only certain elves are allowed to make it.

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A/N: Please remember that Connor never existed in the Angel verse and they are still at the Hyperion.

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twelve

A Little Faith

Sam slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. He knew that something was seriously wrong because he didn't recognize any of the trees that he saw, plus the air smelled rather strange.

Suddenly remembering the fight with Gollum and the strange men appearing out of the light, he sat up and looked around for Frodo. Just off to his right, Frodo lay unmoving on the ground. Fearing the worst, Sam ran over to him.

"Frodo! Mr. Frodo! Please wake up!" Sam cried as he shook his friend. "Oh please don't be dead, Mr. Frodo. Wake up!" He nearly cried in relief when he saw the other hobbit's eyes flutter open.

As Sam helped Frodo sit up, Frodo winced and he gingerly reached back to examine the bump on the back of his head. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Sam answered his worry evident in his voice. "But I think something very bad has happened."

Frodo looked around and noticed that they were no where near the lake. "Was it me, or did that light look like one of Dawn's portals?"

"It did seem to look familiar," Sam said.

The other hobbit took a deep breath and calmly surveyed their surroundings. "I don't think we are in Middle Earth anymore, Sam," he said softly.

"What do you mean?"  
"I think that somehow or another we have fallen through a portal to somewhere else."  
"Then what are we going to do, Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, his face full of fear.

"How much food do we have left?"  
Sam furrowed his brow as he did some figuring. "We have enough lembas to last us for several weeks as long as we are careful with our rations."  
"Then I think we should stay here in this spot."  
"Stay here?" Sam cried. "Why?"  
"Aragorn and Legolas surely saw the portal. I bet they are working on a way to get us back right now. If we move from this place, they may not be able to find us. I think we will be safer if we remain here."  
Sam just glumly nodded his head, knowing that he would do whatever Frodo asked. He only hoped that the others would figure out a way to find them.

********

Faith bobbed her head to the music that was blaring through her headphones as she absently flipped through a magazine. She was sitting at the front desk in the Hyperion lobby on the off chance that somebody would come in or call them in need of their help.

Angel had asked Wesley to pull some strings the year before to get Faith released from prison so she could put her slayer abilities to good us, not to mention they needed the extra set of hands. After they had helped Buffy out in England, the demons had flocked to the city and they were swamped with work. But things had calmed down over the past month and a half so business was slow. Even Wolfram and Hart was keeping off their radar.

Therefore, Faith had to find other activities to spend her extra energy on. She spent a lot of time sparring with Angel and the other members of the team, and it seemed to help.

Right now, though, she wasn't sure why she was reading the magazine. It was one that Cordy had left lying around and Faith had never been interested in high fashion.

"Faith!" Wesley said, intruding his hand into her line of vision.

"What?" She asked as she removed her headphones.

"Did you not notice the red bird knocking at the door?"  
"Red bird?" She asked. Sure enough, as she looked over she saw a beautiful red bird hovering on the other side of the door. As she peered closer, it appeared that the bird was carrying some letters. "Oh, must be a letter from B. Didn't she mention that birds were some sort of mailing service?"

"Yes, she did. Why don't you let him in?"  
Faith went over and opened the door. She was faintly surprised when the bird handed her one of the letters. "Thanks," she said absently and the bird flew over to Wesley with the other.

"Most unusual," he murmured. "I would have thought that she would have written Angel." 

She didn't hear him, however, as she was already reading hers.

Hey Faith,

I hope things are fine back in L.A., cause I need a huge favor. Moldy Wart is trying to extend his reach. Do you remember that ring thingie we told you guys about when we came back from Middle Earth? It seems that our big bad wants it for himself. He somehow managed to open a portal and tried to bring it here.

Anyway, there's a lot of mumbo jumbo involved, and I don't really have time to explain it, but the ring is somewhere on Earth, we just don't know where. Some of our friends are in danger back on Middle Earth, so Draco, Dawn, Spike, Ginny, Harry, and I are going there to help. As a matter of fact, but the time you read this, we'll probably already be there.

I need you to come to Hogwarts, Faith, and take over teaching my classes. I've also sent a letter to Wesley asking him to help you. And while you're there, if you could help the others in protecting the students, I would really be in your debt.

The fireplace at the Hyperion has been hooked up to the floo network. You can send your answer about whether or not you want to do this back to Dumbledore by using Fawkes (the bird who brought you this letter). To get to Dumbledore's office just throw the powder into the fireplace, say Dumbledore's office, then step into the green flames. It's not the cleanest way to travel, but it is the easiest.

Thanks,

Buffy

The dark haired slayer looked over at her watcher. "Are you going?"

"That depends entirely upon you," he answered.

Her face softened as she quietly asked. "Those kids need me, don't they?"  
"I believe that they do. Her letter to me said that you were the only one she could turn to. She's placing the safety of her friends and students into your hands. But the decision is still yours."  
Faith felt as if a huge weight was being lifted off of her shoulders. It was finally her chance to prove, once and for all, that she had changed, that she could be someone who could be trusted. A grin appeared on her face. "Let's go to England, Wes."

***********

Faith coughed as she dusted the soot off of her clothing. "B was right, that's not a nice way to travel." She felt a grim satisfaction, however, when Wesley stepped out of the fireplace. His normally neat appearance was destroyed by the large amount of soot covering him. "Damn Wes, I think you got the worst of it."  
"Very funny, Faith," he said, looking around for a clean place on his shirt to wipe his glasses off with.

Neither of them had noticed the old wizard sitting at his desk until he began chuckling.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," Wesley said, politely inclining his head.

"Please, we're colleagues now, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. Call me Albus."  
"Only if you extend the same courtesy," Wesley said.

"Crap. I forgot I'm in the land of watcher-speak," Faith grumbled good-naturedly. "I don't know how B has put up with it all this time."  
"Must have tried her non-existent patience," Wesley said with a small smile.

Faith just nodded her head as she looked at all the things in the office. The last time they had been to Hogwarts, they had never come in here, so she looked around in wonder. "Cool place you got here, Al."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Thank you, Faith."  
She jumped slightly as she looked out the window. "What time is it?"  
"Ten o'clock," Dumbledore answered.

"Oh yeah, that whole time zone thing. Forgot, sorry." She paused before asking. "We aren't disturbing you or anything/"  
"No, my dear. I was just waiting for you so I could show you to your quarters," he said with a smile.

"That's cool," she said with an answering smile. "You wanna go now?"  
Albus regarded her with a twinkle in his eye. "Faith, I do believe that you are going to shake things up around here."

She nonchalantly shrugged. "It's what I do. Let's go see this room of mine."  
He stood and gestured to the door and the three of them left his office. As they walked thorough the corridors, Albus said, "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of placing you in the same rooms as last time." 

"That's five by five. I remember where they are. Was Buffy still teaching in the same room?"

"Yes. I believe she left a note letting you know about her classes. She was also teaching extra sessions in the evening. While it would be nice if the two of you would continue to do so, it is not necessary."

Wesley spoke up. "I believe it would be a good idea to continue them. Especially since we don't know what may happen. Buffy's information on the situation was sketchy at best."

"When did B ever pay attention to details. Granted, she pays more attention than me. All you have to do with me is tell me which demon to kill."

"I'm sure her friends will fill you in with the details," Dumbledore assured them.

Faith stopped and the two men turned to look at her. "Wait a minute. Do I need to wear a robe like you guys? Cause I gotta tell ya, they're not really my style. Not to mention they'll get in the way when I teach."

"They won't be necessary," the old wizard said as they started walking again. "Buffy and Spike wore their muggle clothes most of the time. I only ask that you dress appropriately around the children and that you have a set of dress robes for formal occasions. That also applies to you, Wesley. Unless, of course, you wish to wear them."

A wry smile appeared on Wesley's face. "Ah, no. I believe I'll pass."

Albus stopped in front of the portrait guarding the scooby common room. "I'll introduce you to the students tomorrow morning during breakfast. I'm sure many of them remember you, but it's to help the ones of a more forgetful nature and the first years."

"Not a prob," Faith said as Wesley stepped through the portrait door. She started to go in, then stopped and turned around. "Did Buffy and Spike ever patrol the dark forest?"

"Almost nightly. I believe they also took Dawn and Draco with them on Friday nights," Albus answered.

"Ok," Faith said thoughtfully, a plan forming in her head. "Thanks, Al. I'll see you in the morning." Then she stepped through the door.

********  
The next morning, Faith stood in front of her mirror suddenly unsure about her decision. Yesterday it had seemed to be such an easy one to make - her sister slayer needed her, and there was no way Faith could've refused her. Now that she was here at Hogwarts though, and about to face the scooby gang at some point that day, she wasn't so sure she had made the right one.

She had hurt and betrayed them all at some point in time. Their possible reactions to her presence scared her a little. Granted, there hadn't been a problem when she had come with Angel's group the previous year, but they had been in the middle of a huge battle and never had the time to really clean the air. 

Faith didn't expect them to forgive her for what she had done. Hell, she hadn't expected Buffy to forgive her. But she was eager to show them that she had changed.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?"

"It's Wesley."

"Come on in."

"Are you ready to go to breakfast?" He asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

He smiled and said, "I have something for you."

"A prezzie for me?"

"Of sorts," he said. He brought his hands out from behind him to reveal a simple black robe. "It's even in your favorite color."

"You really didn't need to buy me one. It's not like I plan on wearing it that often."

"True, but you should at least wear it for meals. I know that Dumbledore was going to introduce us this morning and you are dressed a bit informally for that," Wesley explained, indicating the jogging pants and tank top she wore.

"I'm decent! I'm not showing that much skin," she protested.

"I know, Faith. But these students are used to seeing their professors in a more formal dress. You want to make a good impression don't you?" 

"Ok, ok. You've convinced me. I'll wear the robes!" She grinned evilly at him as she pulled it on. She had just noticed that he was wearing a similar one. "You don't look bad in robes, Wes. You're damn near a hottie."  
"Thanks," he said with a roll of his eyes. Then they headed to the Great Hall.

**********

The day passed fairly quickly and Faith wondered how Buffy was able to remember everyone's name. She swore that after a while they all blurred together. Thankfully she had Wesley there to help keep them straight.

After their last class, Faith just plopped back onto the mats and looked up at Wesley. "Damn that was exhausting. Who knew that teaching a bunch of rugrats could wear you out?"

"They are a bit of a handful," Wesley agreed as he wearily ran his fingers through his hair.

"B was doing a good job with them, though. I could tell. They were lucky to have her for a teacher."  
"They're lucky to have you, also."  
"Have you talked to the others yet?" She asked, slightly embarrassed by the compliment.

"No, not yet. I assumed we would have a chance to speak with them before dinner."  
"Sounds good," Faith said as she sat up and stretched.

********

"What if they still hate me?" Faith asked as they stood outside the door to the scooby common room.

"I'm sure they don't hate you. They didn't seem to when we were here the last time."

"But I kept in the background so we could concentrate on the demon and not the past. But now..."

"You won't know until you go in there," Wesley gently said.

Faith took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Moldy Wart," and the portrait swung open to reveal the scooby gang and several students researching. They all looked up as she and Wesley entered.

"Hey Faith," Willow said with a wave. 

The dark haired slayer waved back. "Can I say something?"  
"What is it, Faith?" Giles asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for all the things I said and did a couple of years ago. I've been working hard to redeem myself and..."  
"We understand," Xander said, surprising most of the people in the room. He wasn't exactly known for his ability to easily forgive people.

"You do?"

"Hey, I tried to end the world," Willow said. "We know that sometimes we all make mistakes. At least you've learned from yours."  
Faith's jaw dropped. "You don't hate me?"  
"We never hated..." Willow began.

"Yes we did," Xander corrected.

"Ok, maybe in the beginning, but we've changed, too," Willow said.

Wesley leaned over and whispered, "Didn't I tell you that things would be fine?"

Faith just mutely nodded her head.

He smiled and looked at the others. "Do you think you could fill us in on what happened? Buffy's explanation was rather vague."


	13. Worry

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IMPORTANT : I have to suspend this fic for a short period of time, but I'm not abandoning it. I don't know if you guys know (those of you who are left after my above rant) that this is one of four WIP. Having that many fics going on at once is starting to stretch me a little thin. I have one that is close to being finished so I will finish it and then come back to this one. I have an update list to let you guys know when I pick this story back up. If you want to be on it, leave your email in the review or email me at melindoranightsilver@hotmail.com

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Review Responses:

Ezmerelda, John, Andine, thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Pandoras Box1, no, there will be no Faith/Wesley pairing. I have another man in mind for our dark slayer. 

vampy the chosen one, I felt the same way about Faith. But I've got to tell you, she is a blast to write. I was a little worried about, but once I got going with her I had a lot of fun. And whoo hoo to you! You were my 100th reviewer!

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LOTR Notes:

mellon nin is elvish for my friend (mellon = friend, nin = my)

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Fic Notes:

Remember that there is a time difference between Middle Earth and our Earth. It roughly equals 1 day on ME = 2 days on Earth.

Also, this fic will be more plot driven from here on out and less character driven then the last one.

It is unbelievable how many of you came up with the idea that Frodo and Sam are in the Forbidden Forest. That thought never even occurred to me. But you know me, I like for my characters to suffer so it couldn't be that easy.

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Thirteen

Worry

The sun had long since set when the company stopped for the night. Aragorn was worried that he might miss a sign without adequate light. They ate a quick meal of lembas and lay down to sleep with Aragorn and Legolas keeping watch.

Dawn quickly realized that even though she was dead tired, she couldn't get comfortable. It wasn't that the ground was hard and cold, it was more a feeling of general uneasiness. She sighed softly and looked at Ginny, who was lying next to her.

"I can't sleep," Ginny whispered.

"Me neither." An idea came to Dawn. She smiled and flicked her eyes over to Draco and Harry, and then understanding shone in the redhead's eyes. Without another word, the two got up and walked over to their respective boyfriends.

"What wrong?" Draco blearily asked as Dawn laid down next to him.

"Couldn't sleep," she answered.

He opened his arms and she quickly snuggled up against him. She looked over to see Harry and Ginny in the same position. With a satisfied smile, Dawn closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

********

It was a few hours before dawn when Legolas gently awoke Buffy and Spike. "We need to be on the move soon," the elf explained.

Buffy nodded sleepily and moved to wake Dawn and Ginny when she noticed that they weren't where they had been the night before. She cast her eyes about and couldn't find them.

"Where's my sister?"

Aragorn inclined his head to where the four slept. "They moved during the night."  
"And you just let them? Do you know how inappropriate that is?" She demanded. 

"They were having difficulties finding sleep, yet it came quickly to them when they had joined the boys. They needed their rest so I felt it was prudent to let them be."  
"But..."  
"He's right, luv," Spike said, joining the conversation. "It's not like they could be doing anything out in the open like this. 'Sides, those kids are smart, they wouldn't do anything foolish."

Buffy scowled, but didn't say anything more.  
After waking the young witches and wizards, they ate a quick breakfast then started running again. The sun rose above the mountains, bathing the land in a pale light. With it, they were able to see the land about them more clearly.

At some point in time they had reached a set of rocky hills. Harry and Ginny watched Aragorn in amazement, as he seemed to easily follow the trail.

"No sign of our quarry except what bare rock can tell," Gimli grumbled beside them.

"He seems to be finding a trail, but how?" Harry asked, slightly nervous. The grouchy dwarf made him wary, but he seemed more approachable that the beautiful elf or the stoic man.

"Lord Aragorn is a Ranger, one of the best. The Rangers have been taught how to track and find signs in the most unimaginable places," Gimli informed them as he breathed deeply.

"I still don't see how he can find anything on rock," Ginny said.

"I trust him," Gimli said. "He's led us this far and he cares deeply for those hobbits. We all do." Then he picked up his pace to catch up with the others.

"He's worried," Harry said.

"Wouldn't you be too?" Ginny asked. "Especially if it was Ron and Hermione?"

"Yeah, I guess I would be," Harry conceded. Then they ran on in silence.

By mid-afternoon they had dropped down out of the rocky hills and onto the plains of Rohan. The orc tracks were easily visible for the grass was trampled in a wide path.

Suddenly Aragorn shouted, "Stay! Do not follow me yet!" They stopped and watched as he studied the tacks then walked off the beaten path.

As he stooped down, Buffy called out, "What did you find?"

Aragorn walked back to them and held out his hand. Resting in his palm was a glittering leaf.

"The broach of an elven-cloak," Legolas cried.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," Aragorn said. "This did not drop by chance. It was cast away as a token to any that might follow. I think Pippin ran away from the trail for that purpose."

"Then at least he was alive," Gimli said with a heartening laugh. "And he had the use of his wit and legs, too."

"Come! Let us go on!" Legolas cried. And the nine of them set out again.

********

Buffy looked back and saw that the teens were straggling. She had to admit that her own strength was waning, she could only imagine what it was like for the others. The sun had set several hours earlier and she decided to call for a stop.

"Aragorn! We need to rest."  
Legolas looked at them and came to the same conclusion. "She is right. We must gather our strength for the morrow. I am afeared that if we continue much longer that we shall miss other signs."  
The ranger nodded wearily and they hastily set up a camp. The four teens continued their same sleeping arrangements from the night before and quickly fell asleep.

The slayer frowned when she saw that Aragorn intended to keep watch for another night. She walked over to him and said, "You should get some rest."

"I will be fine."  
"No, you won't. I can tell that you're exhausted. When was the last time you slept?"

"Two nights ago," he replied.

"You won't do Merry and Pippin any good if you're too weak to fight when we catch up to them. I know that Legolas doesn't need as much sleep as the rest of us. Let him keep watch."  
"She is right, mellon nin. Rest. I can keep watch alone," Legolas said softly.

Aragorn nodded as he realized that they would badger him until he slept. He was asleep nearly as soon as he laid down.

"Thank you," Legolas said. "If you had not said anything, he would have killed himself with exhaustion."  
"Nah, you would have stopped him before then," Buffy said with a shrug. Then she went to lay down with Spike.

*********

Hermione and Ron were cuddled up together on one of the sofas in the common room she had once shared with Draco. The two stared absently into the fire.

Ron wearily sighed after a while and said, "It was a good thing that we had decided to start training some of the younger students before all of this happened. Otherwise we'd be in big trouble with the quidditch team."  
She shifted so she could look up at him. "How can you say something like that? Our friends and your sister are in another dimension where there's a war going on. And the only thing you can think about is quidditch?"  
He sadly looked down at her. "I know exactly where they are, 'Mione. And don't think that it doesn't keep me up at night worrying about it. But we won't be helping them if all we do is sit around worrying about it. They wouldn't want that. You're forgetting that Buffy and Spike are there with them. They'll take care of them."  
"That doesn't mean I can't worry," Hermione pointed out.

"No, it doesn't," Ron agreed. "But you can't just sit around here and mope. It'll cut back on our chances to find Frodo and that ring. The sooner we can do that, the sooner we can send them back to Middle Earth, and the sooner that our friends can come home." He straightened and looked her directly in the eye. "You're the smartest person I know, pumpkin. We can't do this without you."  
"I thought I asked you not to call me that," she said with a glare.

"Call you what, pumpkin?"  
"You did it again!" She said as she moved away from him.

"What? Pumpkin?" He innocently asked.

"Yes!"  
"Stop me... Pumpkin," he taunted.

Ron wasn't able to identify the emotion that flickered in her eyes before she suddenly pounced and began tickling him. She quickly had him calling for mercy in between his laughter.

They calmed down and moved back into their cuddling position. "Thank you," she said after a few minutes.

"For what?" He asked.

"For showing me that it's ok to laugh even though I'm worried about them," she admitted softly.

"That's what I'm here for," he said piously. "To keep you laughing."  
"You definitely do that," she said as she kissed him.

************

Snape sat brooding in his quarters. He felt absolutely worthless. He'd felt that way ever since Voldemort had discovered that he was a spy.

For years, that had been his place in the world. To report to Dumbledore all he had learned about the inner workings and plans of the death eaters. But now that that ability had been taken away from him, he saw himself as just a hanger-on. Just getting in the way. And he just hated hanger-ons. Even the students seemed to have a purpose, while he was left floundering in the dark. 

The door to his rooms opened to reveal his demon girlfriend. She took a quick look around and realized what was going on.

"Alright, broody butt. They've been gone for four days and that's enough of this," she demanded.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You're not helping these kids much by sitting around in a half dark room feeling sorry for yourself. So you can't spy for Dumbledore any more. Big deal."  
He glared at her.

Anya rolled her eyes in return. "You should know by now that that particular type of insult doesn't exactly phase me. Hello, demon! Tortured and killed thousands of men for a thousand years."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here to cheer you up, silly," she answered.

Snape arched a dark eyebrow. "Does cheering me up always have to include so many insults?"

"They're not insults, I'm just speaking the truth." Then she quickly turned serious. "Sevie, I know you're worried about those kids, but they are seventeen, almost eighteen years old. And they've already been through more than you can imagine. They're going to be fine."  
"I don't worry about them," Snape said darkly.

"Why do you keep insisting on the continual portrayal that you hate those kids? You've loved each and every one that has walked through your classroom."  
"They can't be coddled," he said, not denying her declaration. "Life in the real world is too hard for them to be coddled. They have to be able to face it with strength."  
"Oh, like the way you're facing it right now, Mr. I'm all alone cause I can't help so I'm going to keep myself locked in my room?"  
"Again, this is a strange way of cheering me up."  
"Why don't you go out and help?"  
"How?" He roared as he jumped to his feet. "My only way of contributing is now lost."  
Anya studied him for a moment and then said, "You know, for someone as smart as you are, you're an awfully big idiot." He sent a scathing look towards her. "It's true. You're smart. You could be out there researching with everybody else instead of holed up in here feeling sorry for yourself. Just thought I'd leave that little tidbit with you." Then she slipped out the door.

Snape stared after her, knowing that that sneaky blond of his was right. There was a way he could contribute. Adopting a long-suffering look, he squared his shoulders and headed to the scooby common room to offer his services as a researcher.

**********

Their third day on the run began before dawn again. Gimli woke the six other worlders in time for them to see Aragorn lying on the ground with one ear pressed against the earth. He seemed to be intently listening for something.

"He's not planning on catching ants for a meal is he?" Dawn asked after taking a drink of water. "'Cause that would just be eww."  
Legolas handed her a piece of lembas and explained, "He is searching for hints of our quarry's distance from us."  
"Here's hoping he doesn't fall back asleep," Draco mumbled to himself.

The sun was just beginning to peak out when Aragorn finally stood. His face was pale and drawn. "The rumor of the earth is dim and confused. Nothing walks on it for many miles about us. Faint and far are the feet of our enemies. But loud are the hoofs of horses."  
"Horses?" Buffy asked. "Are they coming towards us?"  
"Nay, they are drawing ever further from us."  
They set out shortly after that, onto the rolling plains of Rohan. As the crested one hill that was taller than those around it, Legolas stopped and seemed to look far into the distance.

"They run as if their master's whip was behind them," Legolas said.

"There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us," Aragon said softly to the elf, not thinking any of the others could hear him.

"They are taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas cried.

"Saruman," Aragorn said with disgust.

"We'll catch up with them before then," Buffy tried to assure him as she stepped closer. She had heard their entire conversation.

He just nodded grimly at her and they started running again.

Later that night, Ginny awoke with the realization that she needed to use the bathroom. She quietly disentangled herself from Harry and indicated to Buffy, who was standing watch, where she was going.

Ginny had always hoped that one day she'd be able to visit Middle Earth with Dawn, she just hadn't imagined that it would be like this.

The past three days had been hard on her. While she had always been naturally fit, running for days on end was starting to take its toll. The lembas bread had been sustaining her, however. She was amazed at its remarkable ability to keep her strength up.

She did find herself longing for plumbing the most, though. Peeing in the bushes or out in the middle of a field was not exactly something she would classify as fun. Not to mention she needed a bath, she absolutely reeked. The only comforting fact about that was that the rest of the group smelled, too. Except for that elf. She found herself wishing he'd fall into a mud puddle.

The redhead finished up and walked back to the camp. She stopped as Legolas caught her attention. A gasp escaped her lips as she realized that his eyes were wide open, unfocused and unseeing. She hurried over to Buffy. "Merlin, Buffy. He's dead."  
Buffy looked at her in alarm. "What? Who's dead?"  
"Legolas. He's lying over there with his eyes open. He's dead."

The slayer relaxed and softly laughed. "He's not dead, Ginny."  
"But he's not blinking," she protested.

"I know. Elves sleep with their eyes open," Buffy explained.

Ginny's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me."  
"No, I'm afraid not. Freaked us out the first time we saw it. You'll get used to it. Now go back to sleep."  
The young witch nodded numbly and walked back to Harry. She crawled under the blankets and snuggled up against him. As he wrapped his arms around her, she sighed softly and quickly fell back asleep.


	14. Keeping Up Hope

Hi guys! Long time no see. Sorry about taking so long, but since the last time I posted I've built and torn down three sets, designed lights for a show, was in a show, planted a garden, have been harvesting, celebrated an anniversary, finished Across the Pond, wrote two one shots for the mid-year ficathon, and started to catch up on Stargate. Oh yeah, and finally wrote this chapter.

Next one will be up sometime next week. My beta is currently grounded from the computer and won't be back until then. I decided to post this anyway because you guys have waited so long. If you'll notice, the chapter doesn't have a title yet, but if any of you have any ideas let me know. Thanks. As soon as my beta gets back to me on this one, I'll repost it with a chapter title and a huge thank you to whoever suggests the one I use.

Review Responses:

John, Kyra2, BrittyBabe, Sailor Catastrophe, buffyfan363, thank you guys for all of your reviews!

Harmoni, hey girl! Sorry this one took so long. The updates should speed back up.

vampy the chosen one, I'm sorry but this one doesn't contain too many smiling moments, although there are a few. There should be more soon.

clcountry, one of your guesses for Faith are correct, but I'm not saying which yet. And you make me blush with all of your compliments.

Broken Skye, I'm using elements from book the movie and the book, and that comment was from the book. The movie compressed a lot of the events and characters. For example: in the books Eomer wasn't banished, he was imprisoned. The force that came to Helm's Deep was a different prince, not to mention the scary trees. So if there are things you don't recognize from the movie then they are from the book. But once I get Buffy and co. more involved with the decisions a lot of things are going to change that will be original.

Chapter Fourteen

Wesley looked up from the text he was reading to see Giles staring out the window with a book loosely held in his hands. The older watcher had been distracted ever since Buffy and the others had left several days earlier. Wesley could only imagine how he felt.

"I'm sure she's fine," Wesley said after a moment.

Giles jerked and turned to look at his colleague. "What was that?"

"Buffy. I'm sure she's fine. She's quite capable."

"Yes, she is," Giles said as he adjusted his glasses and returned his attention back to the nearly forgotten book in his hands.

Wesley took the hint and went back to the book he had been studying. He was surprised when Giles softly spoke a few minutes later.

"No matter how good she is, I always worry that this will be the time she won't return home. I know she has cheated death time and again, has died twice and returned, but one day her luck will run out."

"But she's not alone. Spike will defend her with his last breath - so to speak. Plus, her group is filled with capable fighters," Wesley assured him.

Giles chuckled. "True. It's her friends that have kept her grounded over the years. Without them she would have stayed dead at the master's hand, but it doesn't stop my fears. She is my daughter in all respects except for blood."

Wesley nodded and said, "I can understand that."

Looking up from his book, Giles regarded the younger man for several seconds before saying, "I suppose you do at that."  
"Meaning?"

"I've noticed your relationship with Faith has improved."

"Neither of us are who we were in Sunnydale. The years gave us a new perspective on things and people." Wesley sighed. "If I had recognized how insecure she was back then, maybe things would have been different."  
"Or maybe not," Giles countered.

"Perhaps. But she and I don't dwell on the past, only on the present and future."  
"She's blossomed into a lovely woman."  
A smirk crossed Wesley's face. "Lovely?"

"You know what I meant."  
"I do, and she has," Wesley said with no small amount of pride in his voice. "It means a lot to her that Buffy entrusted these kids safety to her."  
"She wouldn't have trusted just anyone."  
Wesley nodded. "She knows and won't take this job lightly."

--------------------

"Awake! Awake!" Legolas cried. He had taken the last watch and was worried by what he saw. "It is a red dawn. Blood has been spilled this night. Awake!"

"Bloody elves. Too damn loud for this early in the morning," Harry muttered. He gently nudged Ginny awake. "We need to get moving."  
"Just a few more minutes, mum," Ginny mumbled as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Harry sighed. "I'm not your mum." He nudged her again. "Come one. It's dawn. We need to get moving."  
Ginny blinked her eyes several times and groaned softly. "I'm awake."

Everyone quickly got up and once again followed the trail the orcs had left behind. It was still an hour before noon when they came across a wide circle. They stood back while Aragorn studied the bent blades.

He sighed as he straightened and crossed to them. "They rested here a while, but even the outward trail is already old. It is thrice twelve hours, I guess, since the orcs stood where we now stand."  
"How long?" Buffy whispered as she leaned over to Dawn.

"A day and a half," Dawn supplied.

"This would be easier if he spoke plainly," Buffy grumbled.

"If they held to their pace," Aragorn was saying, "then at sundown yesterday they would have reached the borders of Fangorn."  
"How far away is that?" Draco asked.

"Another fifteen leagues," the ranger answered.

"And that's how far?"  
"Thirty miles," Spike answered.

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "Why didn't he just say so?"

"Well, let us go on," said Gimli. "My legs must forget the miles. They would be more willing if my heart were less heavy."  
By the end of the day, their pace had slowed considerably, only Legolas' steps were still light upon the ground. Even Buffy and Spike's enhanced strength and endurance were stretched thin.

Buffy looked back to see that her sister's face was tired and grim, but her eyes still contained a flicker of hope of finding their friends. The slayer examined the others and saw that they were losing hope, especially Gimli. She gave a slight indication to Spike and then fell back to the end of the line with Gimli.

"Long day, huh?" The dwarf beside her just grunted. "Great way to see the countryside though."

"Our hope to find our friends fail and you speak of sight seeing? Have you no heart?"

"Ha! I knew that one would get a response out of ya. And yes, I do have a heart. But how can you give up hope? We've only been following them for four days."

"Yet our quarry keeps getting further from our reach. They will reach Saruman soon and we will be unable to help them then."  
"The first man I loved turned evil on my seventeenth birthday, and I mean that. He literally turned evil. He killed classmates and one of my teachers. For months I held onto the belief that we could turn him back. That _I_ could turn him back to being good, even though those around me tried to convince me otherwise."

"Well?" Gimli asked when she failed to continue.

"He's one of my best friends now," she said with a smile. She decided to omit the part about having to kill him first.

A spark flared in Gimli's eyes. "Is that so?"  
"It is," Buffy said, happy to see that her little story had helped. Then she quickened her pace to help set up the camp for the night.

-----------------

Ginny awoke to hear a soft voice singing. She looked and saw Legolas keeping watch. Thanks to Dawn's tutoring she was able to get the gist of what the song was about. Disentangling herself from Harry, she walked over and sat next to the elf.

"Is there a problem, Lady Ginny?"

"No," she said in a hushed tone. The elf still evoked a feeling of awe from her. "That song was pretty."  
"Mine is an ill-trained voice," he said in way of apology.

"It was beautiful. Could you teach me the song?" She hesitantly asked.

"Perhaps later. You should rest. The road tomorrow will be long."  
"You promise you'll teach me?" She asked as she stood.

"Aye, I will."  
"Wicked." Then she went back to lie down, leaving a perplexed elf behind wondering what she had meant by her parting word.

------------------------

Xander stood and took a few steps as he stretched. He needed a break from grading papers. This year Miss Thompson, the Muggle Studies professor, had given him more responsibilities. There were days where he taught all of the classes by himself. Currently he was teaching fifth years about comic books and the papers were on various aspects of his favorite reading material.

He crossed to the window and looked out over the darkened grounds. His best friend had been gone for a week and he couldn't help but hope she'd be back soon. She and the others were out there in the middle of a war and he was unable to help them.

Sure, he was helping to keep the kids at the school safe, but he wished he was fighting by her side. Xander had long since come to terms with his feelings for Buffy and he only thought of her as a sister. One that he fervently wanted to protect despite the fact that she could take care of herself better than he could. But she had deemed it more important for him to stay in their own dimension.

The dark haired young man wearily ran his hand through his hair. He was glad to see that Faith was settling in though. Her approach to the students was different than Buffy's, but it was working. She was surprisingly patient with them and willingly answered any questions about herself - even the painful ones.

Not that he had been keeping an eye on her or anything. He was just making sure that she wasn't having any teaching problems or violent fits.

Xander sighed. Maybe Anya had been right when she said he had a problem trusting outsiders. He knew he had said things were fine, but there had been a nagging doubt in the back of his mid. Of course, he had come to trust Draco and Spike because of Buffy and Dawn; maybe he should give Faith a clean slate and trust her, too.

With his thoughts coming to a solid conclusion, he walked back to the table and wizard perspectives on Spider-man. Maybe he should find a way to show them the movie.

-----------------------

Sam frowned as he looked up at the strange stars. It was very disconcerting to not only _not_ know where he was, but not know what world he was on. He wished Strider was there because it was beginning to tire both him and Frodo not knowing what might jump out and attack them.

He just wanted to be back home in the Shire with this whole ordeal behind them. When he had agreed to accompany Frodo on this journey he had no idea that it would be filled with so many dangers. He didn't regret his decision because he wouldn't want anyone else to take care of Frodo; he only wished he had known so he would have been better prepared.

All they could do now, though, was wait until their friends rescued them from this semi-peaceful world and take them back into hell.


	15. Riders of Rohan

Hi guys! Sorry this one took so long, but I was helping my sister move into a new apartment and I bought a few new books that I couldn't put down. I'm not really sure when the next chapter will be up, I start back to work this week. I have an update list if you want to be added, just email me or leave it in a review. Those who have left their address and are not receiving the updates it's because I'm getting weird messages about your accounts. If you have another leave it for me to try and use.

**LOTR notes:**

Eldar - Elves

**Review Responses:**

buffyfan363, Ezmerelda, harmoni9, John, Kyra2, thank you guys so much for your reviews, they're great!

Lynsi, I don't have a particular song in mind yet for Legolas to teach Ginny, but I'm willing to hear suggestions. I only know a few songs so any help is welcome.

PreCarIouSpErsOnaTa, I know Elbereth is a Vala, but I'm having them use it like the Potter verse uses Merlin and Christians use god. I've read quite a few strict LOTR fics that use it that way which is were I got it from. Tolkien was something of a prude and never seemed to include them swearing about anything. I find it hard to believe that they would never swear, so that's where I got it from. I guess I should have explained it more carefully for those who don't really know who she is. But thanks for the site, I love having additional resources, never know when that ever elusive tidbit is located at. :) Oh, and thanks for letting me know you're enjoying the fic.

**A/N: **I know things aren't changing a lot yet for LOTR, but once Buffy and co. settle in and get a feel for things then they will start interjecting their opinions. Just be patient for a little while.

**A/N2: **Thanks to Kiara from Twisting The Hellmouth for helping out with the title for Chapter Fourteen - Keeping Up Hope so a huge thanks to her!

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Riders of Rohan**

Dawn wearily sighed as she watched Aragorn press his ear to the ground. Legolas stood next to him and he seemed to be studying something off in the distance. She hoped he would have good news when he stood back up.

"Riders!" Cried Aragorn, springing to his feet. "Many riders on swift steeds are coming toward us."

"Yes," Legolas confirmed. "There are one hundred and five. Yellow is their hair, and bright are their spears."  
"Where?" Harry asked as he moved to stand next to the elf. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the riders they spoke of. "I don't see them."

"There," said the elf, pointing. "They are little more than five leagues distant."  
"How can you see that clearly so far away?"  
"The eyes of the Eldar are keen. We can actually see farther than that," the elf replied modestly.

"Well I'm impressed," Harry said.

"Five leagues or one we cannot escape them in this bare land. Shall we wait for them here or go on our way?" Gimli asked.

"We will wait. These horsemen are riding back down the orc-trail. We may get news from them," Aragorn decided.

"Thank Merlin," Ginny said as she plopped to the ground. "I think my feet are about to fall off."  
"I, too, am weary, but we should not rest here, we would be too easy a mark atop this hill. Let us travel a little ways down."  
Ginny groaned but stood up. The company walked a short ways before taking a break.

"Who are these people?" Draco asked after a while.

"The Rohirrim are proud and willful, but they are true-hearted. They have long been the friends of Gondor."

"But Gandalf spoke of a rumor that they pay tribute to Mordor," Gimli pointed out.

"I believe it no more than Boromir did," Aragorn said. "I've spent time among them. They have no love of orcs."

"We shall soon learn the truth," Legolas said. "Already they approach."  
Before long all of them could hear the approaching horses and they began to ride by. The riders paid little heed to the travelers sitting in the grass. When almost all had passed, Aragorn stood and called in a loud voice, "Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?"

As one, the riders turned and encircled them. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli tried to steer the three girls behind them. Buffy and Dawn rolled their eyes at the unnecessary gesture.

"Knew I should have done that demonstration back at Caras Galahad," Buffy muttered.

"Galadhon," Dawn corrected absently.

When the horsemen stopped, they all pointed their spears at the strangers. "Who are you and what are you doing in this land?" The apparent leader asked.

"I am called Strider," Aragorn replied, using his ranger name. "We've come from the east hunting orc."

The man dismounted and approached. "That is no name for a man. Have you sprung out of the grass? How did you escape our sight? Are you elvish folk?"  
"No, only Legolas from Mirkwood is an elf. Our cloaks were gifts from the Lady of Lothlórien."

"The witch!"

Gimli growled while Buffy and Dawn tensed. "Give me your name horse-master, and I will give you mine and more besides," Gimli said, gripping his ax.

"I am Éomer son of Éomund, Third Marshal of Riddermark. And I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."

Legolas had an arrow notched and aimed in less than a blink of the eye. "You would die before your stroke fell!"

"O good lord, here we go," Dawn said. "Stupid elf. Always thinking with his bow and arrow. Would you put that down, it's not going to solve anything."  
Éomer turned his attention to Dawn when Legolas lowered his weapon. "You hunt orc with three females? That doesn't seem wise."  
"We can take care of ourselves," Buffy said, her eyes flashing.

"Who are the rest of your company, and I would have you right name, Strider."  
"First, do you serve Mordor?" Aragorn asked.

"My company and I are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. Now come! Who are you? Whom do _you_ serve?"

"I serve no man." Then he suddenly withdrew Andúril and it shined brightly in the sun. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn and am called Elessar the Elfstone, Dúnadan, the heir of Isildur, Elendil's son of Gondor. Here is the sword that was Broken and is forged again! Will you aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly!"

"Damn," Spike muttered, as Aragorn seemed to grow before his eyes. He could see the potential for a great king shining around the normally quiet man.

"So how many names does he have?" Draco asked Dawn.

"Too many to count, I think," was her whispered reply.

"These are indeed strange days. Dreams and legends seem to spring to life out of the grass," Éomer said in awe. "Tell me, lord, what brings you here?"  
"We track a party of Uruk-hai. They have taken two of our friends captive."

"Hunt no further, we have slaughtered them."

"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits?" Gimli intensely asked.

"They would be small - only children to your eyes," Aragorn explained when he noted Éomer's confused look.

"Time is pressing!" Called out one of the riders.

"Leave us for a while. Assemble the éored farther on the path," Éomer commanded. When they were alone he turned back to the company. "I'm sorry, but we left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them as is our custom. Will you please introduce the rest of your company and speak more fully of your errand?"  
"This is Lady Buffy and her sister Lady Dawn. This is Lady Ginny." The girls waved and smiled. "And Masters Draco, Spike, and Harry. Our errand must remain in secrecy. How fares King Théoden?"  
"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king so he no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin."

"That can't be good," Draco sighed.

"The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked."  
"We shall be wary as we continue on."

"Allow me to aid you in your endeavor. Hasufel, Arod, Herubrand, Léofa, Baldor!" Five horses were lead over to them. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope, it has forsaken these lands. Lord Aragorn may we one day be joined together in battle."

"A time that will soon be upon us I am afraid."

"Until then, farewell." Then Éomer returned to his horse and the men rode away.

"Well that was nice of him," Ginny said as she looked at the closest horse with some trepidation.

"We must hurry," Aragorn said as he quickly mounted Hasufel.

"Gimli, you can ride with me," Legolas said as he leaped lightly up on Arod. Then he helped the dwarf up.

Spike and Draco soon followed with little difficulty. "It's been awhile," Spike said as he bent forward to adjust his stirrups.

"I didn't know you could ride," Buffy said as she waited for him to finish.

"Had to. Part of the Malfoy training. It was one of the - wait, no. It was the only thing I did well that my father was proud of."

Dawn was eyeing Draco as he sat atop Léofa. Clad in his elven garb and the ease he exuded, she could quickly discern that he, too, was a competent horseman. "You look hot up there."

"Ahhhh!" Buffy cried from behind Spike. "I don't need to hear those words coming out of my sister's mouth."

"Whatever," Dawn said lightly as she climbed up behind Draco.

Ginny looked at Harry. "Please tell me you know how to ride."

He turned to look at her with wide eyes. "I hoped you knew."

"Actually, I'm a little afraid of them," she confessed.

"Oh, that's a problem."

"Ya think," she said with a glare.

"Is there a problem?" Aragorn asked, as he rode over to them.

"Um, neither of us can ride and Ginny is afraid of horses," Harry supplied with a nervous smile.

Aragorn frowned and then reached down to Ginny. "You may ride with me Lady Ginny until Harry becomes competent."

She looked nervously at the horse.

"He will not harm you, but we must not tarry any longer."

Taking a deep calming breath, she reached out and let the ranger help her up. She looked over to see Harry awkwardly climb the horse.

Spike rode up next to the young wizard. "Don't doubt your commands, the horse will sense it and become confused and may not do what you want it to. Stand in your stirrups."

Harry looked at him questioningly, but did as he was asked. Spike nodded and said, "Good, they're the right length. You can sit again. Keep a good hold on the reins. Grip the horse slightly with your knees and use that to steady yourself. Everything else we'll fix as we go."

"Are we ready?" Aragorn asked.

"As I'll ever be," Harry said uneasily.

"Then let us be off."

Ginny squeaked and gripped Aragorn tightly as Hasufel took off in a gallop.

_scenebreak_

"What's all this stuff for?" Ron asked as he looked at the various objects laid out on the table in front of him.

"We've talked it over with Wesley and we think we may have found a way to locate Frodo and Sam," Willow said as Tara laid a map of the British Isles in the center of the table.

"How?" Ron asked excitedly. "I'm all for getting the others back here as soon as possible."

"It's a locator spell," Tara said as she sat down.

"I thought you had to have something that belonged to the person you were looking for."

"You do, but this one is different. We're going to do a generalized search so all we need is a map and a specially mixed powder," Willow explained.

"What do I do with this?" He asked as he took the jar of powder that Tara handed him.

"We concentrate our magic on finding other dimensional objects and we throw a handful of the powder over the map. Then, wherever they are, a dot will glow on the map," she answered.

"Are we ready?" Willow asked.

Ron nodded and began pulling on his magicks. His skin tingled as he felt the air around him come alive. He centered his thoughts on otherworldly objects and threw the powder when Willow said to.

Three pairs of eyes watched the map closely as little lights began glowing all over it.

"Merlin," Ron said softly. "There must be a hundred of them."

"What if we tried looking for other dimensional beings?" Tara asked as they let the spell end.

"It's worth a try," Willow said with a shrug.

They cast the spell again and this time there were so many lights that their faces glowed.

"How did they all get here? I mean there's hundreds of them. How did we not know about this?" Ron asked as the lights faded.

"Many of them can move through dimensions - like Anya. Others could have been here for hundreds of years coming through random portals or seeking asylum. You just never know," Willow said.

"Now what?" Tara asked.

"We can scan for both objects and beings together since Frodo has the ring," Ron suggested.

The map lit up for a third time as the powder settled once more. Willow sighed as she looked at the fifty dots. "We're going to have to check each one of those out in order to be sure."

"This is going to take forever," Ron said as he slumped down in his chair.

_scenebreak_

The sun was just beginning to set when they finally arrived at the smoking remains of the dead Uruk-hai. Aragorn helped Ginny down before dismounting and handing her the reins. She grimaced but held them and stood quietly next to Hasufel.

Harry groaned as he slid off Baldor, his horse, and collapsed on the ground. "I thought riding horses was supposed to be easier. My legs hurt more now than before."

"Nobody said it was easier, Potter, only faster."

"And my bum hurts," Harry complained from the ground.

"Will you just stuff it? I'd like to know what happened to Merry and Pippin," Draco snapped as he watched Aragorn search the area.

"Let us camp over there beneath the trees. I do not wish to examine the battlefield any further in the failing light. Mayhap the morning sun shall shed new light," Aragorn told them when he came back.

"Can we light a fire? It's a little chilly out," Dawn said as she rubbed her arms in effort to warm them up.

Aragorn frowned slightly as he looked at the forest stretching out behind them. "We are on the very edge of Fangorn and it is perilous to touch the trees of that wood, it is said."

"What if we just picked up branches off the ground?" Buffy asked.

"Why would the trees care?" Ginny asked curiously at the same time.

"The forest may be alive," Legolas said softly. "Long ago the Onodrim, or what men called Ents, dwelled there. We sing of them from time to time at home."

"As long as the wood for the fire is already dead, I do not believe there will be trouble. But take care to not set a blade against the trees. We may need to travel through the forest ourselves if the hobbits entered them," Aragorn cautioned wearily.

_scenebreak_

Gimli and Buffy were keeping the first watch when he took the opportunity to ask, "Do you still have hope that they are alive."

"I think so, yes. Saruman wanted them alive so the nasties couldn't have killed them. Those horse guys didn't see them so I think they escaped," Buffy said confidently.

"Where do you get this boundless hope?"

She sighed and softly answered. "If I didn't carry hope that we will win, that I can make a difference, then why bother? I could just sit at home and do nothing to help. But my calling drives me forward to fight, to help. If I lost hope then I'd lose a part of myself and that's dangerous ground for a slayer. When she loses hope, a death wish sets in and the end usually comes shortly after that."

"Profound," he said after a moment.

"Yeah. Not sure where that came from." She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned to look. "Who's that?" She asked loudly.

Just on the edge of the firelight stood an old man wrapped in a great cloak with a large brimmed hat pulled over his eyes.

The other company members woke and sat up at Buffy's cry. The man never moved, just stood and watched.

"Well father, what can we do for you?" Aragorn asked and the man suddenly disappeared as if he had never been there at all.

"We all saw that, right?" Spike asked as he looked around for signs of the man.

"It was Saruman. Remember the words of Éomer - he walks about like an old man, hooded and cloaked," Gimli said in a voice tense with emotion.

"But this guy wore a hat," Dawn pointed out.

"In any event, there is nothing we can do now. I'll take the next watch," Aragorn said. "I have some things to think about."

The others, while still spooked, settled back down and quickly fell back asleep.


	16. Moving Forward

Hello everyone! Sorry that it's taken so long to get this up. I had some health problems and couldn't write for nearly a week. Plus, I've discovered this story just gets harder to write the further I get into it.

**Review Responses:**

John, Zayra, thank you guys so much for your reviews.

harmoni, yeah, a lot of this is coming from the books. I enjoyed a lot of the stuff in the books more and it helped the story to flow easier.

Kyra2, thanks for the reviews for both this and my other fics.

buffyfan363, thanks, but the changes won't come for a while, but they will be there.

**LOTR Notes:**

For those who aren't as familiar with the story, Gandalf fell in the Mines of Moria after fighting the Balrog.

Oh, and I'm still taking suggestions for the song that Legolas will teach Ginny.

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Moving Forward**

Snape scowled as he watched Anya move about the room gathering objects she thought she might need. "I don't understand why you're the one who has to go," he said. "Why don't they send some aurors to check the places they found?"

Anya rolled her eyes, but continued packing her small bag. "Because, first off, some of the demons or beings might be afraid of humans and technically I'm not human, I'm a demon. Others may not trust demons and I usually go in human form. Plus, whoever goes searching needs to move quickly. I can teleport. Not to mention, the aurors have never met Frodo and Sam, but I have. I'm the only logical choice."

"Still doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled.

"Yes, I know. But it's not going to stop me from going."

He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms. "I just worry about you."

"Hey, I'm not exactly an easy target; I'm over a thousand years old. Hello, vengeance demon! We're not easy to kill."

"Knowing that doesn't help."

"I know," she said as she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And I think it's absolutely adorable that you worry about me like this."

"I'm not adorable, you crazy woman."

"But you are, Sevie. You're an adorable, prissy little man, and I love you for it."

Snape froze and stared at her. "What did you say?"

"I said you were an adorable, prissy little man."

"No, after that."

"And I love you for it," she said softly, suddenly afraid of how he would take the news.

Then he did something that she had rarely seen him do in all their time together. He smiled.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Other than this ridiculous smile I can't get off of my face, nothing."

"I guess I'd better get going."

He kissed her gently on the lips and stepped back so he wouldn't be caught in her teleportation. "Anya, I love you, too."

Her squeal of delight echoed in his ears long after she was gone.

_scenebreak_

After breakfast the next morning, the remnants of the fellowship and their friends from Earth stood back to watch Aragorn do his thing. The man seemed to study every blade of grass before suddenly kneeling.

"A hobbit lay here, and the other." He squinted as he noticed something. "They crawled, and their hands were bound."

"How can he know that?" Ginny asked Dawn.

"I don't know. Do I look like a Ranger?"

"You don't have to be so testy," Ginny chided.

"Sorry. I'm just tired and worried about Merry and Pippin."

"We'll find them."

In the meantime, Aragorn had been carefully following the tracks. He held up a broken piece of rope. "Their bonds were cut. They ran over here," he said, starting to move faster. "They were followed."

Harry leaned over to Buffy. "This is strangely exciting."

She wordlessly nodded her head, her eyes watching Aragorn's every more in undisguised hope.

"The tracks lead away from the battle!"

"Thank Merlin," Draco whispered.

Aragorn stopped at the edge of the trees. "They went into Fangorn Forest."

"Great. The place of the living trees," Spike muttered.

"All trees are alive," Dawn pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, but these seem to be special living trees. Even elf-boy seems to be in awe of them."

"So now what?" Buffy asked, crossing to stand next to Aragorn. "Do we take the horses in Fangorn, or leave them here?"

"We will have to leave them here. They will be a hindrance in this forest," he said, making a decision.

"But they'll die!" Dawn protested.

"They will find their way home," Aragorn assured her. "There is plenty of grass for them to eat. Come, we must hurry."

Leaving the horses behind, the nine of them headed into the forest. Despite the fact that the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the forest was dim. However, instead of being cooler, the air was stifling and pressed down on them.

Gimli paused to finger a dark stain on a leaf. He tasted it then quickly spat it back out. "Ptui! Orc blood."

"Bet that was tasty," Draco grumbled under his breath. He couldn't help but be surly. They had been on the run for five days and it was beginning to take its toll on his temper. Not just his he noticed, as he looked at his friends' weary faces.

They moved quickly through the trees and Dawn was seeing the sense of leaving the horses behind. The ground was rough and large tree roots seemed to be everywhere. She could see Aragorn crouching ahead and moved up to hear what he was saying.

"These are strange tracks," he said, frowning.

Legolas seemed to be concentrating when he said, "This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory... and anger." The trees seemed to creak and groan in answer. "The trees are speaking to each other."

"Is he hearing the same thing we are?" Buffy asked, looking around at the trees. She noticed Gimli was holding his axe up defensively. "You might want to lower that if they are angry. There are more trees than us. I'm good, but not that good."

As the dwarf lowered his axe, Legolas smiled and said, "The trees have feelings, my friend. The elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

Gimli only rolled his eyes and replied, "Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about? Hmmm? Except the consistency of bird droppings."

Harry couldn't stop the snort of amusement that escaped his lips. "At least we know who to blame."

"Aye, that we do lad," Gimli replied with a chuckle.

Buffy, Spike, and Legolas tensed at the same time. "Aragorn, nad nâ ennas!" The elf said urgently.

"Man conich?"

"I didn't catch that," Harry whispered.

"Something's out there," Ginny answered as she looked fearfully about.

"The White Wizard approaches," Legolas said, seemingly able to see through the trees to what they concealed.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us. We must be quick," Aragorn instructed them.

You and Draco go right, Spike and I will cover the left. Came Buffy's voice in Dawn's head. She mutely nodded and the four silently spread out into the flanking positions.

Ginny and Harry pulled their swords out and stayed behind Aragorn. They could see Legolas notching an arrow onto his bow and Gimli tightening the hold on his axe.

With a sudden yell, Gimli threw his axe while Legolas released the arrow at an approaching figure. They were easily deflected. Their swords became too hot to hold, forcing them to drop them. Buffy, Spike, Draco, and Dawn jumped from the bushes but were knocked back to the forest floor by an unseen force.

A bright white light was emanating from the wizard forcing the ones still standing to take a step back. They all had to shield their eyes.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits," said the wizard.

"Where are they?" Aragorn asked.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

From her position on the ground, Dawn swore that it sounded like the man's voice was changing. And he spoke in a manner that said he knew the three members of the fellowship. She began to get a strange feeling in her tummy.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn demanded.

The bright light dimmed to reveal an old man all dressed in white. Legolas and Gimli suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.

"It cannot be," Aragorn whispered.

"Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman," Legolas said, with his head still bowed.

"I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."

"Am I the only one who's confused here?" Draco asked Dawn. "Who is that guy?"

"I think it's Gandalf," she said, studying the figure in white.

"You fell," Aragorn insisted.

"Through fire and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth."

"Yup, that's Gandalf," Dawn said, remembering that Merry and Pippin had said that he had died fighting the demon.

"Until at last I threw down my enemy and mote his ruin upon the mountainside," Gandalf was saying. "Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf," Aragorn said in relief, stepping closer to the wizard.

"Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

Gimli stood and said, "Gandalf."  
"I am Gandalf the White," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I come back to you now at the turn of the tide. But first, you must introduce your new companions."  
"This is Lady Buffy and her sister Lady Dawn. Master Spike and his nephew Master Draco. And Master Harry and Lady Ginny," Aragorn said as they said hello in turn. "They come from a different world."

"Yes, I was told as much by Lady Galadriel. She also told me of Frodo and Sam's fate." Gandalf looked at Buffy. "I only hope your friends can find them in time."

"No worries. Willow will turn over every stone on Earth to find them if she has to," Buffy assured him.

"What of Merry and Pippin?" Draco asked. "You said they passed through here."

"Yes, and it was more than mere chance that brought them to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains."

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend. You still speak in riddles," Aragorn said with one of his rare smiles.

"Ah, yes. That reminds me. I bring messages from lady Galadriel."

"When did you see her?" Spike asked.

"I arrived only days after the fellowship left. I finished my healing there." He turned to Aragorn,

_"Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?_

_Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? _

_Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,_

_And the Grey Company ride from the North._

_But dark is the path appointed for thee:_

_The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea." _

He then turned to Legolas and said,

_"Legolas Greenleaf long under tree_

_In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!_

_If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,_

_Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more." _

"Dark are her words," said Legolas. "And little do they mean to those that receive them."

Gandalf then looked at Dawn,

_"Amaureä, with the beauty of summer_

_Your own magicks may warn the other._

_His evil may hear the talk with a friend_

_But cannot pierce your heart and shield._

_Sometimes, only when you are divided,_

_Can the fighting front be solid._

"Her last message is for Harry. She said that you need to remember that you'll only win the battle if you let your friends stand by you," he concluded with a smile.

"Thanks, I think," Harry said.

"Now, come! One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras? That is no short distance," Gimli said.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king," Aragorn informed the wizard.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured."  
"Great," Spike muttered. "More problems."

_scenebreak_

Faith closed the door to the training room and turned to face the students. "Cop a squat guys." When all they did was give her strange looks, she rolled her eyes and said, "I mean sit down. Have a sit. Place you butts on the floor."

"Aren't we going to wait for the others?" Lavender asked.

"Nah," Faith said as she sat on the floor with them. "I told them not to come tonight. It's just going to be a special session between you guys and me."

"What kind of special session?" Seamus asked.

"I know I'm kind of new here and I don't know you like B did. So I wanted to take some time to get to know you guys better, and to find out why you're taking these extra sessions."

"We figured you already knew," Wayne said, a little confused.

"I only got some vague hints as to the whys and whatnots. I want to hear it from your mouths. That way nothing gets diluted, just the plain simple truth. Plus, the others should know, too."

Padma shifted uncomfortable on the floor. "Is there a reason for all of this?"

"Yes, there is. The reasons why you do something affects how much and what kind of effort you put into it. Let me ask you this. Why do you think B and the scoobies are so good at what they do?"  
"Because they're friends?" Seamus asked.

"Sort of," Faith said.

It was Neville who spoke up next. "It's because of how well they know each other. They know the others almost as well as they know themselves. And they know how to use each other's strength and weaknesses."

"That's right."

"The same is time for Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Blaise said, starting to catch on. When Faith nodded her head, Blaise smiled and said, "You want us to get close to become as formidable team as the others."

Faith grinned and said, "Snake girl got it in one. And you guys can't start working as a group until you know why you're doing this."

"Why do _you_ want to do it?" Wayne asked.

Sadness crept into the dark haired slayer's eyes and her grin faltered slightly. "First I did it because it was my destiny and it was fun. Then, it was because I wanted to be better than Buffy. And now I'm doing it to redeem myself."

"Redeem yourself? For what?" Padma asked.

"You guys don't know what happened?" They shook their heads no. "I'm not going to tell your everything now, but here are the highlights. I accidentally killed a man, went evil, killed another one, threatened and tried to kill the others, switched bodies with Buffy, and tortured Wesley. In the end, I went to jail."

"How?" Lavender asked. "The cops couldn't have stopped you or held you in prison."

"I went by choice," Faith said, raising her chin slightly. "I was doing penance. Then B needed that help last year and Wes got me out. Then he found a way to keep me out and I've been helping Angel in L.A. So what about you guys. Why are you here?"

"I want to be able to protect my parents if I have to," Blaise said. "They're spies for Dumbledore. And if they get caught, I might be the only one who can help them."

Neville took a deep breath and released it before saying, "My parents were driven insane by V...V...Voldemort. I want to help stop V...V...Vol...Voldemort so no other kid has to know what it's like."

"My sister, Parvati, was one of the few people killed last year during the attack on the school," Padma said quietly. "I wanted to become strong so I wouldn't end up the same."

"Parvati was my best friend," Lavender said as she reached out to squeeze Padma's hand in support. "What kind of best friend would I be if I hid from the monsters that killed her instead of fighting them?"

"Mine is somewhat the same," Seamus said in his Irish brogue. "I'm not letting my friends fight without me."

They all turned to look a Wayne. "Hey, I'm just here for the workout," he said with a shrug. Faith raised an eyebrow. "Ok, ok. I want to be an auror one day and I figured this would help me out for the future."

"There, see that wasn't so hard, was it?" Faith asked with a grin. "So what's your favorite color?"


	17. Teaching Everywhere

Hello everyone! Brand new chapter here for ya. The next will be up on Sunday. J

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Review Responses:

Harmoni, no chance of me abandoning this fic any time soon. I've figured out a way to make the writing just a little easier on me. And I'm feeling loads better. I'm even able to sleep without any sort of medication now. Whoo hoo!!!

John, the messages for Aragorn and Legolas were from the book, I obviously made up the other two. The messages will get explained in time. For some of the clarification though, look in my LOTR notes.

Buffyfan363, I'm a little tired of the same old lines too, which is why I've been pulling some things from the book. But I have to admit, I like the way Peter Jackson did some things as opposed to Tolkien. And I'm glad you liked Faith's little pep talk. My whole idea is that since she is different from Buffy, she'd treat them differently than she did. You'll see more evidence of differing attitudes soon.

Kyra2, I'm not sure she's going to confuse them, but she's definitely going to give them a different perspective on things.

Thank you guys for all of your reviews, you rock!!

****

LOTR Notes:

The messages to Aragorn and Legolas in the last chapter were from the book, it will get explained much like it did in the books. As for Dawn's message, you'll just have to wait and see for that.

Aragorn has several different names which is why he can get a little confusing at times. When he was living in Rivendell as a child he was called Estel, which means hope. At twenty he learned that his true name was Aragorn and about his heritage. When he became a Ranger he went by the name of Strider because he had long legs and therefore had long strides. Aragorn, in this story and LOTR, is 88 years old. He has long life because of his Numenorean blood. For a while, he spent time in both Rohan and Gondor serving the kings and he went by the name of Thorongil. Bilbo calls him Dunedain, which refers to his race, he's also been called Elessar. Poor, poor man. So many names…

The song Legolas teaches Ginny in this chapter is from Fellowship of the Ring and is the story about Nimrodel.

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General Notes:

Because seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRl, I keep forgetting to thank her. So an extra huge thanks goes to her!!!

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Chapter Seventeen

Teaching Everywhere

After Gandalf retrieved his grey cloak and put it on, the company headed out. When they reached the edge of the forest Gandalf stopped and whistled strangely three times. The sound seemed to echo over the rolling plains.

A moment later, a large white horse came running towards them, followed by their own mounts. They came to a stop in front of the wizard.

"This is Shadowfax," he said with a smile as he ran a hand over the horse's neck. "He's the lord of all horses and he's been my friend through many dangers."

"Is that why the horses came back with him?" Dawn asked as she happing rubbed Léofa's nose. She had quickly fallen in love with the chestnut colored horse the day before and was happy to see him again.

"Yes, Amaurëa," he said with a chuckle. "Shadowfax probably sought them out shortly after you released them."

Ginny sighed softly to herself as she realized she was going to have to spend another day on horseback. However, after yesterday, she wasn't _as _afraid of them, but was still hesitant around them. Honestly, the things outweighed her by at least a thousand pounds. She waited patiently until Aragorn sat astride Hasufel.

"Perhaps you would feel more comfortable riding with Master Harry," Aragorn said.

"I don't know," Harry said as he struggled to mount Baldor. "I don't think I'm ready to ride with someone else."

"Very well," Aragorn said, one corner of his mouth twitching slightly upwards. He reached down and said, "Come Lady Ginny. I'm afraid you have to ride with me a while longer."

"It's ok," she said, blushing slightly.

They rode on for the rest of the day and didn't stop until after the sun had set. Even Aragorn seemed to be moving stiffly as they set up camp. Before long they had a small fire going and had eaten a light meal.

"Harry, let's practice with your sword for a little bit," Spike said, standing and pulling out his own blade.

"Can't it wait?" Harry asked wearily.

"Sure, I'll tell all the bad guys in this world to not attack you since you were too lazy to learn how to use your weapon. We've been here for nearly a week and we've been lucky. Now get your ass off the ground and come on."

"I'm coming," he grumbled and he followed Spike. Gimli got up to join them.

Ginny crossed their small camp to sit next to Legolas. "Can you teach me that song now?"

"It is quite late. Wouldn't you rather sleep?" He asked.

"I'm tire, but not sleepy. I need something to help me wind down so I can sleep. So what do you say?"

"Okay. Repeat after me: An Elven-maid there..."

"No. Teach me in Elvish," she said.

"I did not know you spoke our language, Lady Ginny," he said in some surprise.

"Sort of. Dawn was teaching us for a while. But this is an easy way to practice. Besides, it sounds prettier in Elvish," she added sheepishly.

He smiled. "It does at that. Let us begin again. **_An Elven maid there was of old."_**

She sang the words softly back to him.

"You have a lovely voice," he said.

A blush crept up Ginny's neck. "Thanks. What's next?"

**__**

A shining star by day.

Dawn snuggled into Draco's arms as she listened to her best friend sing. Her beautiful voice was only marred by the sound of clashing metal from Harry and Spike's practice.

"Something is bothering me about Galadriel's message," Draco said softly.

"Well it wasn't exactly filled with hugs and puppies," Dawn said dryly. "I don't know why it would worry you."

"It's not that. It was almost as if I had heard part of it before."

"When would that have happened?" She asked, craning her neck around to look up at him.

"I'm not sure, but I'll figure it out."

Buffy moved to stand next to Aragorn and Gandalf who were looking out over the fields. As she got closer she could hear Gandalf's soft voice.

"The veiling shadow that glowers in the east takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dûr, his Eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him."

"That's always good," Buffy said, entering the conversation. "If the bad guy is unsure, he can be tricked into making mistakes."

"True, true," Gandalf agreed. "But a rumor has reached him. The heir of Númenor still lives. Sauron fear you, Aragorn," the wizard said, looking at the younger man. "He fears what you may become."

Personally, Buffy found the thought heartening. As long as the enemy knew fear, then he couldn't move too freely just yet.

"So he'll strike hard and fast at the world of Men," he was saying, pulling Buffy out of her thoughts. "He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The king's mind is enslaved, it's an old device of Saruman's. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But for all of their cunning, we have one advantage."  
"What's that?" Buffy asked.

"The Ring remains hidden."

"Yeah, but from us too," she pointed out.

"Yes, but that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered his darkest dreams."

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully. "Because they don't understand why we would not use such an obvious method of power ourselves."

"There's another advantage that they don't know about," Buffy said with a grin.

Gandalf turned to look at her with a curious expression. "And what is that?"

"That you have six new Champions on your side."

"Who are they?"  
"Me and the others," Buffy said.

"You and the others?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Galadriel probably forgot to mention that I'm a slayer, Spike's a vampire and does magic, along with Dawn Draco, Ginny, and Harry. Not to mention there's bondings, prophecies, and blessings from the Powers That Be on all six of us."

"Indeed?"  
"Indeed," Buffy said with a smug look. "We're a small army unto ourselves. The bad guys won't know what hit them."

__

scenebreak

Wesley wearily got to his feet and stretched. The book he was reading wasn't going anywhere and he really needed a break. He walked to his window, which overlooked the courtyard and looked down to watch the students.

He smiled as he watched Faith mercilessly chase the students. She had decided that knowing the steps to protect themselves would mean nothing if they weren't in shape. Therefore, she started them on a strict exercise program. Even Hermione, who usually helped him research, was out there running.

How quickly Hermione's mind worked never ceased to impress him. She caught on and saw things that he would have overlooked. It was her that pointed out that they needed someone to help them integrate magic into what Faith was teaching them. Apparently Spike had been taking care of it, but now there was no one. The Gryffindor had suggested Remus to help out and he had readily agreed.

Wesley frowned as he thought of all the letters coming in badgering Dumbledore for hiring a werewolf. Like it bloody mattered. It wasn't Remus' fault that he underwent a transformation a few nights every month. When they made it through all of this, he considered offering the werewolf a job in L.A. The man was certainly seemed competent enough, although his true loved seemed to be teaching.

Remus had a gift for teaching. Wesley knew that it was one thing to be knowledgeable, but it was another thing entirely to be able to pass it on to others. Remus was able to do it effortlessly.

Not only that, the man was easy to get along with and was less judgmental than others. When Faith had told him of her past the werewolf just simply nodded and said if she ever needed someone to talk to he would be there. Wesley chuckled slightly at the memory. Faith had never met anyone who calmly accepted what she had done and what she was currently doing, except for Angel. Angel she had understood because he was following the same path of redemption. But here was a simple man taking her words at face value and was willing to lend a helping hand.

He only hoped that Buffy and the others were faring better in Middle Earth. They had come no closer in finding Frodo and Sam's whereabouts. Indeed, he only hoped that the two hobbits had somehow managed to end up in the same place together. This world was scary enough as it was, but it would be worse to someone out there alone who was unaccustomed to the dangers and ways of this world.

Watching Faith herd the students back indoors, he decided to return to his book. Sighing softly to himself, he sat down and began reading.

__

scenebreak

At midmorning they rode up to a single, rocky hill rising out of the plains. A short distance behind it, mountain peaks loomed over it. They could see a town on top of the smaller hill.

"That is Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over him is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here," Gandalf cautioned them.

"There's a comforting thought," Draco muttered with a roll of his eyes. He didn't understand why Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were so glad to see the wizard. It seemed that the man spoke of nothing but gloom and doom. But as they rode through the town he could see the truth of his words. The people watched them in wary silence.

"You'll find more cheer in a graveyard," Gimli said softly.

The others chose not to comment, but rode on towards the great hall that sat atop the hill. They soon dismounted and climbed the stairs. A man a several guards came through the doors to stop them.

"I am the Doorward of Théoden. My name is Háma," said the man in front. "I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame, by order of Gríma Wormtongue."

Gandalf nodded to them to do as they were told. Legolas gave over his twin knives and his quiver and bow, while most of the others reluctantly did the same. Aragorn, Buffy, and Spike remained unmoving, however.

"It is not my will to put aside my sword or to deliver Andúril to the hand of any other man," Aragorn said.

"We have not the time for this," Gandalf said. He pulled out his own sword. "Here at least is _my _sword, goodman Háma. Glamdring it is called. Now come, Aragorn, Buffy, Spike."

Aragorn gritted his teeth in annoyance but slowly unbuckled his sword and leaned it against the wall. "Here I set it, but I command you not to touch it, nor to permit any other to lay hand on it. This is the Blade that was Broken and has been made again. Death shall come to any man that draws Elendil's sword save Elendil's heir."

Háma looked startle, but silently nodded as he accepted the knife that Aragorn wore at his hip. He then turned to Buffy and Spike.

"Might as well since he gave up his family heirloom," Buffy said to Spike.

Spike nodded and handed over his sword and two daggers he kept in his belt.

Buffy reluctantly handed over her bow and quiver. She had treasured the gift from Galadriel greatly. She then handed the guard her own set of twin knives. Bending over she removed two daggers from inside her boots. After relinquishing them, she pulled two more from her wrists.

"Is that all?" Háma asked.

Letting out a suffering sigh, she pulled another dagger that was concealed at the small of her back and even handed over a stake.

"You brought a stake?" Spike asked.

"Habit," she said with a shrug.

"Now is that all?" The man asked.

"Yup."

"My lady, I didn't know you were so well armed," Aragorn said in surprise. She had repeatedly told them that she was a warrior, but he had yet to see her in action. Her ability to conceal so many weapons from him and the others caused her to rise slightly in his eyes.

She just grinned cheekily at him.

Háma then looked at Gandalf and said, "Your staff."

Gandalf was leaning heavily on it and said, "Oh. You would not part an old man from his walking stick would you?"

The Doorward thought it over and then nodded in acceptance. He gestured for them to follow.

Dawn caught the sly wink that Gandalf gave Aragorn and hid her smile. His staff was no more a walking stick then their wands were random sticks. The wizards and witches were still carrying weapons that the poor man didn't even know of. Plus, Buffy and Spike were walking weapons. It wasn't as if they were going in completely helpless.


	18. Clarification

Hi guys! The next chapter will be up next Sunday.

Review Responses:

Harmoni, I've been dying to write that little bit about Buffy and her weapons. My sister and I were watching the movie long before I had planned this fic and I had turned to her and suggested the scene. I've got a few others that I'm looking forward to. Hee hee

John, yeah, there's some action in this part, both at Hogwarts and in Middle Earth. So you were right. As for Sam and Frodo, you'll get to hear from them in the next chapter.

Zayra, yes, I'll feature Remus some, but I have a lot of characters to filter through. You won't see him featured for several more chapters.

Kyra2, you're right, I just don't see Buffy going into hostile territory without being well armed. It was one of those little bits that I saw before I even started this fic that I wanted to write.

Thanks to all who reviewed, you guys are awesome!!

LOTR Notes:

Láthspell: Rohirrim word, means evil news.

Thanks to my beta, PuNkYCoWGiRL!

Chapter Eighteen

Clarification

Neville looked nervously around the dark forest as he walked next to Blaise. The dark forest at night scared him even more than fighting the army of demons had. At least then he could see them coming and he didn't have time to think or feel, only react. Here, he had no clue what was going to jump out at them. Or when.

He wasn't even sure that Faith's idea of two of them joining her for Friday night's patrol was a good idea. Especially since he was stuck with Blaise.

Not that she was horrible or anything, he just didn't know her very well. And people he didn't know very well tended to make him nervous. He surreptitiously looked over at her and saw a calm but guarded look on her face.

The Gryffindor frown slightly. Where had he seen a look like that before? As his thoughts leapt around, he finally touched on it. Draco had had the same look when he first started training with them. And he realized that she was probably just as afraid of being hurt by them, as they were afraid of her betraying them.

Neville chewed on his bottom lip as he thought this over. Dawn had trusted Draco almost from the very beginning and he had turned out to be a pretty good guy once you got to know him. And Draco and Dawn both seemed to like Blaise. Which meant that she was probably easy to get along with once you got to know her.

Deciding to take the first step of friendship, he asked, "How have your classes been?"

Blaise blinked her hazel eyes in surprise and looked over at him. "Fine... I guess... Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "You've been training with us for over two months and I've realized that I haven't taken the time to get to know you... So, I'm trying to get to know you... So, classes fine?"

She smiled. "Not too bad. As much as I enjoyed Spike's class, Mr. Lupin is doing just as good of a job."

"Yeah. We learned so much from him our second year. It's a shame that most people can't accept that he's a werewolf."

Several feet in front of them, Faith smiled to herself as she listened to them. She had been a little worried about the Slytherin girl being able to fit in since she carried herself in a different manner from the others. Not to mention that she was a pretty tough cookie. Even Faith had been impressed at how well she handled herself during lessons.

There was a crash from the bushes to the left and they all froze, then steadied themselves. Neville looked over at Blaise and was surprised to see fear creeping into her eyes. For the first time, he thought that a lot of her confident air was just an act - a way to disguise her insecurities. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand in encouragement and she squeezed back.

However, the figure that stepped onto the path in front of them was not what they expected. The flabby skinned demon was dressed in muggle clothing and looked around in distress.

"I can't seem to find my... cat. Oh, hello... I didn't mean to... intrude on your nightly walk. Don't mind me," the demon said as she nervously waved.

"You must be Tilly," Faith said, relaxing her stance. "Buffy and Spike told me that you lived in the forest."

"Oh yeah, the slayer and vampire. Such a strange couple. Are you a slayer? You feel like one."

"Yeah. I'm the new muggle defense teacher."

"Buffy died? That's a shame, she was nice - for a slayer."

"Nah, Buffy didn't die. Well, at least not recently. It's along story, but there are two of us."

"Oh. I was just looking for..." Tilly's eyes suddenly got big, then she turned and ran.

Faith frowned and turned to see what was behind them. "Duck!"

The two instantly dropped to the ground and felt something pass over top of them. "Split!" Faith called out and they rolled in opposite directions off the path. Then they jumped to their feet to see what they were facing.

Faith had already begun her attack against the ten-foot behemoth. It had only one eye in the middle of its forehead and had greyish-green skin. "Dammit! I need a sword or a knife."

Neville remembered that the dagger Buffy and Spike had given him for Christmas was tucked into the back of his waistband. He pulled it out and cried, "Here Faith."

She held out her hand and easily caught it. The she drove it into the thing's chest. While she did do some damage, it didn't seem to make any difference.

"It's skin must be too thick," Neville said.

"Its eye! Go for its eye!" Blaise called, seeing an obvious weak spot.

"I gotta get up there first, yo," Faith said as she ducked to avoid a meaty fist.

"Not a problem," Blaise said as she pulled out her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" And Faith quickly rose in the air until she was eyelevel.

She threw the dagger, causing the thing to fall to its knees squealing in pain. Then Blaise lowered her back to the ground.

In the meantime, Neville had transfigured a fallen branch into a sword, hoping that the longer blade would enable Faith to pierce the heart. He called out Faith's name and tossed it to her. She had no sooner wrapped her fingers around its hilt then she had swung and cut the thing's head off.

"Well that was fun," Faith said cheerfully as she retrieved the dagger. "Not bad guys. Not bad at all. Quick thinking. Where did you find the sword?"

"It's actually a branch." He waved his wand and it returned to its original state.

"Huh. Having you wizard guys around is handy. Next time I'll have to remember to bring a sword of my own."

"What do we do about the body?" Blaise asked.

"We'll just drag it off the path. The local meat eaters will do the rest." Faith gave them a sly look. "So who wants to carry the head?"

_scenebreak_

Buffy watched as Gandalf leaned heavily on his staff and Legolas' arm as they entered what she assumed to be a throne room. Men watched them hungrily from the sides and her senses tingled slightly. Which was perfectly fine with her. She had gone far too long without a good fight.

The doors groaned shut behind them and she could hear them locking into place. It was a rather ominous sound and she could feel the others around her brace themselves for any possible threat.

"My lord, Gandalf the Grey is coming," came a hissing voice at the front of the room. It was said so quietly that she was sure that only Spike, Legolas, and herself heard it. "He is a herald of woe," said a dark haired man, who leered over the throne, into another man's ear.

She assumed that the old man sitting on the throne was the king. He didn't look like much of a king except for the crown he wore. His clothes were spotted and dirty. Long, stringy strands of white hair hung in his face and seemed to merge with his beard. Tired, cloudy eyes peered out from a heavily wrinkled face.

It was no wonder that Éomer said that the man no longer recognized his kin. She'd be surprised if he could see past the end of his nose.

They continued their slow walk forward as Gandalf said, "The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King."

"He's not welcome," the dark haired man hissed. It made Buffy wary and she could see men moving into position out of the corner of her eye. She signaled to the others to fan out.

The comment seemed to prompt the old man into action. "Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" The king wheezed and then looked at the younger man for approval.

"A just question, my liege," he said patronizingly. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Láthspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest," he declared as he approached the group.

The company stopped as one when Gandalf commanded, "Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm."

"Ouch. That had to hurt," Draco murmured.

Gandalf swung his staff in front of him for all to see and the man backed away in fear. "His staff. I told you to take the wizard's staff!"

Men began to charge them from out of the shadows and they turned to face them head on.

"Whoo hoo! 'Bout time we got to see some action!" Buffy cried cheerfully as she easily ducked under a swing before using a swift uppercut to knock the man out.

Aragorn and Legolas moved in front of Gandalf to clear him a path to the king. They threw punches and men to obtain their objective.

"Duck honey," Ginny called out to Harry before leaping over him to tackle the man sneaking up behind him. She slammed his head onto the rock floor before getting back up.

"Nicely done," he said with a grin before kicking another man.

"I try," she answered simply.

Dawn saw the man who pulled the king's strings trying to escape. Not willing to let that happen, she kicked the guy closest to her so that he stumbled onto the other. While he flailed about, she used that time to reach him and punch him solidly across the jaw. "I don't think you're going anywhere, buddy."

He looked up at her with surprised eyes. "How did you..."

"Kick your butt?" At his nod, she smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

In the meantime, Gandalf had nearly reached the king. As the fighting died down, he said, "Hearken to me! I release you from the spell."

An eerie laugh escaped the king's lips and Gandalf looked up in surprise. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey."

Again, Dawn was struck with the thought that the voice sounded different than before. It sounded almost like Gandalf had when they first met him in the forest.

Gandalf threw off his grey cloak and his white robes seemed to gleam. A white light filled the room and the king shrank back from it.

"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound," Gandalf said as he pointed his staff.

Spike saw a blonde woman enter and try to run to the king. He reached out and grabbed her. "Hold on there, pet."

"He's my uncle. You must let me go," she cried, struggling in his arms.

"Just wait. Gandalf is trying to help him," Spike said and she ceased her struggling to watch.

"If I go, Théoden dies," the king rasped.

Dawn's eyes widened as she figured it out. She was hearing Saruman's voice through the king's lips.

"You did not kill me, you will not kill him," Gandalf said as he went up the two steps to the throne.

"Rohan is mine!"

"Be gone!!"

The king leaped forward and Gandalf used the tip of his staff to smite him on the forehead. The king fell back in his throne and slumped forward slightly with a light moan. Only then, did Gandalf relax.

Spike let the woman go and she rushed forward. She took the king's face in her hands as she dropped to her knees.

Small gasps could be heard throughout the hall. The king began to change before their very eyes. The years seemed to fall away as his hair darkened and the wrinkles faded. His eyes became clear and coherent.

He looked closely at her and recognition gleamed in his eyes. "I know your face. Éowyn... Éowyn."

She smiled as tears glistened in her eyes, then she threw her arms around him. "Uncle," she said in relief.

Théoden looked around the hall after she released him and his eyes stopped on one figure. "Gandalf?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend," the wizard said in satisfaction.

"Dark have been my dreams of late," Théoden said as he stood, looking at his trembling hands.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword."

Háma ran forward and presented a sword to his king. Théoden slowly drew it and it seemed as if new life sprang through his limbs.

Dawn pulled the struggling man she had captured forward and pushed him in front of the king. "I'm sort of new here, but I think this slimy excuse for a person was responsible for some of this."

"Gríma," Théoden snarled.

"Oh, this is the creep who didn't want Gandalf to have his staff," Buffy said, stepping forward. "Seems like he didn't want you to have any help. Sounds like a traitor to me."

"I've only ever served you my lord," Gríma cried, cowering.

Théoden started down the steps, gripping his sword firmly in his hand. "Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!"

"Send me not from your side."

He raised his sword to kill Gríma, but Aragorn stopped him. "No, my lord! Let him go. Enough blood has been spilled on his account."  
"Very well. Get this _filth_ out of my sight."

"Gladly," Buffy said and she began dragging the man towards the door. He struggled the entire way, but she effortlessly got him to and out the door. She gave him one final kick down the stairs, then returned to her friends.

"Thank you, my lady. Now where is my son? Where is Théodred?"

Éowyn's eyes brimmed with tears again as she said, "He is dead. His patrol was ambushed by Saruman's orcs."

Grief flashed briefly over the king's face, but was quickly replaced by a steely resolve. He turned to look at Gandalf. "Truly you said that the courtesy of my hall is lessened. I shall remedy that. Food will be provided for you as well as rooms to freshen up in. I must attend to several things before we meet again." Then he strode out of the hall.

"Does that mean we get to take a bath?" Ginny asked hopefully.

_scenebreak_

Willow opened her eyes to find herself in a small clearing of a peaceful forest. She looked down and saw that she was still in her kitty pajamas.

"Wills! It's so good to see you!" Came Dawn's voice just before Willow found herself being hugged.

"How are you guys? Did you find..."

"Uh, Willow," Dawn interrupted, pulling back so she could look the redheaded witch in the eye. "We're not exactly sure how secure this connection is."

"Gotcha. You guys ok?"

"We're fine, a little tired, but fine. _All _of our friends are fine."

Willow nodded. "We haven't found the artifact you wanted to buy or its owner. There seem to be a lot of similar ones out there."

"Ah. I think we're staying for a least another week," Dawn said, carefully choosing her words. "How are the other teachers?"

"Five by five," Willow said with a grin. "The kids are having a good time."

"That's great."

"We miss you guys."

"Yeah, same here," Dawn said sadly. "But if all goes well, we'll be back soon."

"Can't you stay longer?"

"I don't want to risk it. Plus, I've got a meeting to get to. Give everyone our love."

Willow blinked and found herself back in the room she shared with Tara. Deciding to wait until the morning to tell everyone about the visit, she snuggled into Tara's arms and went back to sleep.


	19. Staying And Leaving

Hello all! Shiny new chapter for ya! The next one will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

harmoni, you might be smelling a little one there. Neville gets a little bigger role in this fic than he did in the last one.

zayra, not much action in this chapter, but loads in the next few along with some magic. This is just kind of the lead in to the action.

John, hmm, not sure where you got that it was going to be two months until the next update. I'm actually several chapters ahead so that I can safely say when the updates will be. I'm hoping to get this fic finished by the end of the year. Hopefully, anyways. I think Neville is a little underused in stories and he had the possibility of being a great character. And thanks for the review for Time Off. I know Turkish isn't an archaic language, but it was Faith who said it, and I threw it in there cause Dawn mentioned translating something from Turkish. And I've received an overwhelming response to it both here and at TtH so don't be too surprised if you see me coerced into a sequel.

Kyra2, I think Wormtongue was a little more worried about saving his own skin than trying something on one of the girls. But it's a nice idea.... Hmm....

Thank you guys for your reviews!

Thanks to my beta PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Nineteen

Staying and Leaving

"Feeling better?" Dawn asked Ginny as they stepped out of their respective rooms.

"Much. It's amazing how much better you feel after a bath and putting on clean clothes," Ginny said with a grin. "Now I'm hungry."

"Me too. Buffy said they were going to lay food out in the big throne room so we can eat and talk to the king."

"Thank Merlin," Draco said as he and Harry came up to them.

"I talked to Willow while Buffy was taking her bath. They haven't found anything yet, but they're still working on it."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Harry asked as he wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist. "Galadriel's message made it sound like talking to the other world was dangerous."

"We talked in code," Dawn answered smugly. "Unless Sauron knows what five by five means, we're good."

They entered the hall to see Éowyn crouched next to two kids who were eating hungrily. "They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the Wild Men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go."

"That sounds bad," Dawn said as they sat down and began filling their plates. The others had already arrived and started eating.

"This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash," Gandalf said. He was sitting on a stool next to Théoden.

The king was looking better. It seemed that he, too, had taken some time to clean up. His hair and beard were now neatly trimmed and his clothing was of finer material. He sat on his throne quietly taking in the news.

"All the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Sauron," Gandalf continued. "Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight."

"Éomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king," Aragorn reminded him.

Théoden rose from his seat and began pacing. "They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Éomer cannot help us." He stopped and looked at Gandalf. "I know what you want from me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"I know you've been out of it for a while, Theo," Buffy said. "But I hate to tell you, the war is already here."

"And what would a girl know of war?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed as she stood. "I know a hell of a lot more than what you'd think. Your people are scared to death. They need someone strong to stand up for them, not cower in fear."

"Buffy," Aragorn warned.

"No! If he doesn't take action soon, his land will be overrun by Sour Man's orcs."  
"When last I looked, Théoden was king of Rohan, not some girl who doesn't know her place," the king said, glaring at her.

"I never said I was king. Just someone who's come an awful long way to help you. I'd hate to see you lose the battle before you've begun to fight," she said hotly, not backing down.

"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked, trying to head off further argument.

"We will go to Helm's Deep. All of us," he answered, then he left to start having his people evacuate.

"Helm's Deep," Gimli spat. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight."

"What's this Helm's Deep?" Ginny asked.

"It's a large fortress built into a mountain. It has saved them in the past," Aragorn explained. "He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people."

"There is no way out of that ravine. He's walking into a trap. He thinks he's leading them to safety. What they will get is a massacre," Gandalf said joining them at the long table.

"Isn't there someplace else for them to go?" Buffy asked, sitting back down.

"No. It is the only true stronghold they have," Aragorn answered quietly.

Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end, Aragorn. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses _have_ to hold."

"Gee, no pressure there," Spike said dryly.

"They will hold," Aragorn assured him, looking at the old wizard with a question plain in his eyes.

"I have an errand I must attend to. Three hundred lives of men I've walked this earth and now I have no time. With luck my search will not be in vain. Await me at the gates of Helm's Deep." Then Gandalf quickly got up and left.

"Is he always like that?" Harry asked watching him leave.

"He has ever been so, yes," Legolas answered.

"Well Aragorn, I'd say you're going to be making that decision about being king soon, huh?" Buffy asked.

"It seems so," he said reluctantly.

_scenebreak_

Frodo smiled softly as he watched Sam bustle about making dinner. While the forest wasn't exactly teeming with wildlife, it provided enough to supplement their diet of lembas. The other hobbit was perfectly content in the simple act of cooking. It had been a while since he had seen Sam this relaxed and happy.

Even though they were literally worlds away from home, they no longer lived in constant fear. Maybe they were becoming a little complacent, but they hadn't seen a sign of anyone or anything for two weeks. They apparently had that cluster of trees all to themselves.

This world was also some sort of a blessing in disguise. Being in another world, away from Sauron, seemed to lessen the Ring's lure. It no longer pulled at his senses, tempting him to wear it, to succumb to it's evil. The ring just hung lifelessly around his neck, only twingeing occasionally.

But there was something else about this place that pulled at his senses, at his darkest nightmares and fears. His dreams were filled with monsters and things reaching for him in the dark. Some sort of evil slept there and would pull at his mind at times. He asked Sam if he ever felt it, but he only looked at him quizzically and said no. He figured that it was just his exposure to the Ring playing tricks on him.

"The stew is ready, Mr. Frodo," Sam said from his place beside the fire. "At least, it sort of passes for a stew. I wish I had some nice taters to put in it."

"I'm sure it's fine, Sam," Frodo said, getting his bowl out of his pack.

Sam spooned some out into their two bowls. "I wish there were more..."

"There's plenty," Frodo said, cutting him off with a smile.

"I just wish Strider would hurry up and figure out how to rescue us."

"He will."

"How do you know that, Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo turned his crystal blue eyes to his friend's worried face. "Because he always saves us. Because he doesn't give up when a friend is in trouble."

_scenebreak_

Spike entered the great hall looking for Buffy. She had gone off to help others with packing while he went to see to the horses. The king had graciously given each of them their own mounts. Even Ginny had a horse of her own now.

He spied Éowyn pulling a sword out and giving it a few practice swings. He was about to give her a few pointers when Aragorn used his long knife to block her blade.

"You have some skill with a blade," the Ranger said.

She swiftly moved her sword and the blade was soon facing him unchallenged. "Women of this country learned long ago - those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain."

"What do you fear, my lady?"

Éowyn turned and placed the sword back into its scabbard. "A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond all recall or desire."  
"You are a daughter of kings, a shieldmaiden of Rohan," Aragorn reminded her as he sheathed his knife. "I do not think that would be your fate."

She looked at him in surprise as he bowed slightly and walked away. She never saw Spike approach her until he spoke from beside her.

"He's right. I think everyone will see more than their share of fighting before this is over."  
"You believe women can fight?"

"The fact that Buffy can kick my ass seven ways from Sunday is part of the attraction. I trust Dawn and Ginny with my life. Just because you women wear your hearts on your sleeves doesn't mean you're the weaker sex. Those emotions are powerfully strong motivators."

"Your lady is lucky to have you, Master Spike," she said in slight awe.

"Just call me Spike, pet." He started walking away, then stopped and turned. "Watch over extending your arm. The farther you stick it out, the longer your recovery time. Sometimes in a battle being just a second or two faster than the enemy makes the difference between winning and dying."  
"Thank you, Spike."

He smiled. "Think nothing of it, pet." Then he continued his search for Buffy.

_scenebreak_

Hagrid opened the door of his hut to reveal Ron and Hermione. "Well, 'ello guys. Come in, come in. I just put on a pot of tea."

The two students entered and sat on Hagrid's oversized couch. Fang came over to greet them and Ron scratched his head.

"What brings the two of you out here?"

"Willow heard from Dawn," Hermione said.

"She did! How's Harry? Are they coming home soon?"

Ron sighed. "Not yet. Until we find the ring, it's not safe for him here."

"I've been asking around, but no one has seen any wee people," Hagrid said as he poured the tea. "Anya hasn't found them yet?"

"She looked everywhere that Ron, Willow, and Tara found. I don't think they're in Britain," Hermione said.

"They have to be," Ron argued. "They couldn't have fallen that far from the original portal."

"Who says the original portal was in Britain?" Hermione challenged. "Dumbledore hasn't heard back from his spies. Voldemort could have opened that portal anywhere. They could be in Europe or even Australia for all we know!"

"You better hope not, otherwise Harry's going to be stuck in Middle Earth for a long time in the middle of a war! Along with Ginny!"

"You think I don't know that? I'm worried sick about them," Hermione cried with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey guys," Hagrid said, reminding them that he was still there. "They'll be ok until we find this ring."

"He's right. They're strong and surrounded by friends," Hermione said, taking Ron's hand into her own. "Just two weeks ago you told me to not mope and spend all of my time worrying about it. We have to believe that they will be fine and do our part to help them."

Ron nodded, but didn't say anything more.

"Rock cake anyone?" Hagrid asked.

_scenebreak_

It was nearly sunset when the four Hogwarts' students finally sat together around a small campfire. There were more fires and people spread out around them.

"I didn't know a town could empty out so fast," Ginny said as she ate a bowl of soup.

"When you're scared for you life you can do anything quickly," Harry said.

"Oh no," Draco said.

"What?"

The blond pointed to a couple a short distance away. "I hope Aragorn has enough sense to turn down Éowyn's soup."

They watched as Aragorn accepted a bowl and forced a mouthful down. When Éowyn turned away, he tried to dump the contents, but she turned back around to speak to him. They unsuccessfully tried to cover their snickers as Aragorn was forced to eat since she wouldn't leave.

"Is her cooking that bad?" Dawn asked.

"I had several people warn me that dirt tasted better. Who cooked this?" He asked gesturing to the pot in front of them.

"I did," Harry answered.

"It's pretty good. I didn't know you could cook," Draco said before putting another spoonful in his mouth.

"Had to. When I lived with the Dursleys I was expected to fix their meals as part of my payment of being allowed to stay there."

Draco stared at him in surprise. "You mean, they didn't adore you?"  
"I was Aunt Petunia's freak sister's freak son," Harry said with a shrug.

"Huh. I had no idea, Potter. I'm sorry."  
Harry smiled. "It's ok. I've got Sirius and Remus now."

"I wonder how Remus is handling Spike's classes," Dawn said absently.

"He's probably fine. He taught the class before you know."

Ginny frowned. "Guys, I just thought of something."

"What?"  
"Spike is a vampire."

Dawn rolled her eyes as she collected everyone's bowls. "That's a profound thought if I ever heard one."

"What I mean is - he needs blood. That's what he eats. We've been here a week and I haven't seen him drink any."

The other three froze.

"So what's he eating?" Ginny asked.

Their eyes unconsciously sought out Spike. He was farther off with Buffy and they could plainly see him eating a bowl of soup.

"Surely he and Buffy have taken precautions," Dawn whispered.

"What kind? For most of this week it's been just the nine of us and we're all here with no puncture wounds," Ginny pointed out.

"I'm sure if they wanted us to know they'd have told us. Spike's not about to go around feeding on people," Draco said.

"He's right. They'll let us know if there is a problem," Dawn said taking the bowls to be cleaned.

"I hope she didn't think I was accusing him of anything. I was just curious," Ginny said as she watched her friend walk away.

"She'll be fine," Draco assured her, hoping he was right.


	20. Wargs!

Hello all! The next chapter will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

zayra, thanks for the review.

John, I thought I'd address the issue of Spike's eating habits before somebody else asked. It was one of the few hang ups I had about writing this story. And let's see, two weeks have passed in the Btvs/hp world, so you have two more weeks happening there before you find out where Frodo and Sam are. I know I'm not writing much about them, but they're not really doing much at the moment so it can't be helped.

harmoni, you haven't missed anything about Spike, but it gets explained first thing in this chapter. No forbidden forest, although a lot of people have suggested that one. I put them in a special place. The last place they would think of looking. :)

Kyra2, it will be quite a while before you find out where Frodo and Sam are. They have to be in the btvs/hp world for two more weeks before you find out. But luckily, you find out what Spike has been eating in the first scene of this chapter.

Thank you guys for the reviews! And I'll probably receive howlers for how this chapter ends, but please try to be kind. :)

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twenty

Wargs!

"Buffy, can I talk to you for a sec," Dawn asked as she rode up next to Buffy and Spike.

"What's up?"

"Alone?"

The slayer looked at her strangely but nodded her head. The two moved their horses so they wouldn't be easily overheard. They were thankful that Draco and Spike had been giving them small riding lessons as soon as Éomer had given them horses several days before. It meant they were reasonably confident in their abilities.

"You didn't get a message or anything? I thought you said things were fine back home?" Buffy asked.

"No, nothing like that," Dawn assured her and the blonde relaxed in her saddle. "I was just curious about something. Well, Ginny mentioned it first, but it got me wondering."

"About what?"

"We haven't been exactly all truth giving about Spike's true nature to our friends here."

"No," Buffy agreed. "It's not exactly something we're sure they're going to understand."

"Yeah, I was there for the discussion," Dawn interrupted. "What I mean is, is that Spike's food requirement is different than ours. What has he been eating?"  
Buffy laughed. "I wondered how long it was going to take you to ask. He's been drinking blood."

"From where?"

"It's in his canteen. He charmed it to stay cool before we left Hogwarts. He found a butcher back at Edoras and refilled it."

"But that can't be enough," Dawn protested. "Even with his canteen charmed to hold more, he requires more blood than that."

"Not anymore."  
Dawn's eyes widened. "Your bonding?"

"Yup. It's one of his benefits. He requires less blood," Buffy said as she looked over at Spike. "Plus, my blood packs an extra kick. Even if it's just a sip."

"You let him drink from you?"

"Had to for that whole bonding thing remember? And he only does it when necessary."  
"How many times here?"  
"Just once, the night before we entered Fangorn." She looked at her younger sister in faint surprise. "Why didn't you just ask Spike about all of this?"

"It would feel weird discussing his eating habits with him," Dawn said in embarrassment. "I didn't know how to approach him."  
"He'll be fine," Buffy said. "I'll let him know you were worried about him."

_scenebreak_

Blaise was petting Diva, her cat, as she sat on her bed. Pansy and Millicent, her former roommates, were off at a special school for delinquents so she had the room to herself. Personally, it was a nice place to go to get away from everyone else without having to answer a bunch of questions.

Diva required very little from her - food, a pillow next to her head to sleep on, and a daily petting session. Once a day, the black cat would climb into Blaise's lap and insist on being petted. She would close her eyes and soak up the attention, then be on her merry way after fifteen minutes. After that, there was no bothering her.

The Slytherin happily indulged the cat while she contemplated about what to do with the upcoming weekend. It was to be the second Hogsmeade trip of the school year. Since she had so few friends to hang out with and she didn't need anything, she hadn't planned on going. But there was something that could possibly change her mind.

Neville had been carrying on his crusade of getting to know her better ever since Friday night. While all the questions and attention were a little unnerving, it was also kind of nice. It had been so long since anyone took the time to get to know her. And not just what her favorites were, but stories about her childhood, family, and friends.

But what really threw her for a loop, was when he invited her to join his friends at Hogsmeade. The question had surprised her so much that she had lost her composure and her jaw had dropped. He seemed to understand her shock and just said to let him know.

She could hardly believe that a Gryffindor wanted a Slytherin to hang out with him and his Gryffindor friends. True, that happened to Draco. But he was dating a Gryffindor and it took the others nearly a year to truly accept him. Plus, he had fate on his side. Events seemed to be repeating themselves, only there was no fate involve, just a simple boy asking her to hang out with him and his friends.

Blaise knew that Draco was happier now than he had ever been before. But she suspected most of that had to do with Dawn, Buffy, and Spike and the absence of his parents. She remembered the smile on his face when he told her that Ron and Harry wanted to be his friends, how protective he was of Ginny. His life was better because he had taken a step towards possible friendship.

Now, she was being presented with the same opportunity. Not only were these people willing to help her learn to fight the good fight, but also wanted to be her friend. At least, one of them was willing. Who was she to turn down such an offer?

One thing was for sure. No one had ever called her a coward and she wasn't going to give them an excuse to start now. She'd tell Neville tomorrow that she would love to join him in Hogsmeade.

_scenebreak_

Ginny sighed to herself as she sat atop the horse that she had been given. Brytta was a nice sized bay who seemed to understand his rider's timid nature towards him. Draco had ridden behind her for a few hours the day before to teach her how to ride. She at least understood the basics and the gentleness of her horse calmed her nerves somewhat.

However, even with her limited horse knowledge she could tell that something was wrong. All of them shifted about nervously and their nostrils flared. She looked around to see Buffy and Spike on alert and scanning the horizon.

"Wargs!" They heard a distant voice shout.

"What?" Harry asked from beside her.

"It's a scout!" They heard Legolas cry.

Aragorn came running down towards them. "Wargs! We are under attack!"

"Still confused," Harry said in concern.

"Get them out of here!" Théoden ordered. "All riders to the head of the column!"

Gimli had the men around him help him up onto Arod, while Aragorn quickly mounted Hasufel. Around them, the townspeople screamed in panic.

Théoden rode up next to Éowyn. "You must lead the people to Helm's Deep, and make haste."

"I can fight," she argued.

"No! You must do this, for me." He looked at Buffy and Dawn. "Go with them." Then he rode off.

"He still doesn't get it does he?" Dawn asked.

"Nope, but he's about to. Good thing we aren't from here, otherwise we'd get into huge trouble for this." She turned to Ginny and Harry who had ridden up beside them. "Don't suppose I could convince you two to stay behind?"

"You must be crazy if you think that," Harry snorted.

"Fine. But stick to the fringes and most importantly - don't die." Buffy urged her horse forward and they joined the men.

At the crest of the hill, Buffy could see Legolas firing arrow after arrow. Then he suddenly turned and swung himself into the saddle in front of Gimli. The horse never stopped moving.

"That'd be impossible, even for me," Buffy muttered, momentarily distracted. She turned her eyes to the charging beasts and crinkled her nose in disgust. The things looked like overgrown, shaggy hyenas carrying riders. She figured the riders were the orc things that terrorized the land.

Legolas continued firing arrows as the two groups raced towards each other. Buffy and Dawn pulled out their own bows and tried to do the same.

"Dammit!" Dawn muttered. She couldn't seem to juggle riding, holding the bow, and aiming at a moving target all at once. "Knew I should have taken Haldir up on more lessons."

Buffy only managed a little better with her slayer agility aiding her. She only managed to fire three arrows before the two sides met with a loud crash. The slayer put her bow back onto her back and pulled out her knives. With quick slashes she cut down anything that came near her.

Spike was only a few feet behind her and he prevented anything from sneaking up behind her. He grunted as an orc sword cut his arm and he turned to decapitate it. The warg rose up and he thrust his sword into its chest. It squealed and dropped.

Satisfied, he turned to see Draco take down a warg himself. Draco urged his horse forward and cut down the next orc.

Dawn had fallen off her horse shortly after the battle had begun in earnest and decided that she much preferred to fight from the ground. There, she was able to shoot down any of the beasts before they could reach her and help keep them from sneaking up on others. At least she had thought so right up to the point where Legolas had ridden by and Gimli fell on her.

"Come on lass," he said as he helped her up. "Let's kill some orc."

She grinned back at him and the two stood with their backs together as they faced the oncoming hoard.

Harry looked desperately around the field for Ginny. They got separated early in the fight and he hadn't seen her since. He cursed himself as he was knocked out of his saddle. Spike was always telling him that he got too distracted while fighting.

He looked up to see an orc about to stab him and he rolled out of the way and onto his feet. Harry pulled out his sword and prayed that something of Spike's sword lessons had stuck.

The thing rushed him and he instinctively put his sword up to block. As it moved on the offensive, Harry saw an opening. It swung wide and Harry ducked. Before it could recover, he thrust his sword into its guts. He cringed as black blood oozed over his hand, but he pulled his sword back out to turn and face the next threat.

Ginny stayed on the outside edges of the battle helping where she could. The Rohirrim's spears seemed to work well against the wargs so she cut down any orcs that tried to escape. She saw Aragorn get knocked out of his saddle by one of the creatures, then swung up behind another one.

He head-butted the orc that was riding it, but it knocked him off. Somehow, Aragorn was still holding on, but was now being dragged.

She could see they were approaching a cliff at high speed and she knew she had to stop them before it was too late. With a curt word, she urged Brytta forward.

Aragorn and the orc continued to struggle for dominance over the warg and the Ranger managed to stick his knife into the orc's chest. A second later it was knocked off and he was surprised to see Ginny's face peering down at him.

Calmly inspecting his hand she could see that he had somehow gotten it tangled in the warg's harness. She reached for the dagger she always carried while Aragorn looked ahead and saw the fast approaching cliff.

"Get off! Save yourself!" He ordered.

"You're not king yet, so no giving orders!" She said. She went to cut the straps, but it was too late. They both tumbled over the cliff with the warg.

_scenebreak_

Gimli drove his axe into a warg that was still struggling on the ground. He looked around to see others killing off the enemy wounded and helping their own.

"Aragorn!" Legolas called out.

"Ginny!" Harry said from behind him.

The two looked frantically about for their missing friends. As they neared the cliff they could hear an orc wheezing and laughing. The others joined them to stand over the dying orc.

"Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing," Gimli growled.

"They're... dead... Took a little tumble off the cliff."  
"That's a lie!" Harry said in a low voice.

The orc shook and then died. Legolas pulled Aragorn's knife out of its chest. They all recognized it and grief clouded their features.

"No. No, no, no, no," Harry moaned and he ran over to the edge. He looked down, but could see nothing but rocks and running water far below. "She can't be dead," he cried as he dropped to his knees.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Draco said softly, crouching next to him.

"What do you care?" Harry screamed, turning his tear streaked face to look at the other boy. "She was just another Weasley to you! I loved her and it's my fault she's dead!"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "You forget yourself, Potter. Don't think you were the only one who cared about her. She was my friend." Then he stood and stalked away.

"He's just hurting," Dawn said softly as her eyes brimmed.

"I know, but he's not the only one," he said angrily as he kicked the dead orc.

Dawn went over and pulled Harry into her arms so he could cry on her shoulder.

Théoden sighed behind them and sheathed his sword. "Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead."

Legolas looked up in surprise and anger, but reluctantly nodded. He understood the king's decision.

"What?" Harry cried. "We're leaving? We're not going to look for their bodies?"

"We can't," Spike said, his voice thick with raw emotion. "It's too dangerous to stay behind. We need to get to Helm's Deep."

Harry snarled as he approached the vampire. "Fine. Then you can explain to Mrs. Weasley why we were unable to bring back her only daughter's body."

Buffy wrapped a supportive arm around Spike's waist as they watched the angry young man walk away.


	21. Arrivals

Hello everyone! The next chapter will be out on Sunday.

Review Responses:

harmoni, hee hee, just the kind of response I was hoping for. Read on to find out what happens to her and Aragorn....

John, I hadn't explained it until that chapter so you hadn't missed anything.

Kyra2, you get to find out in this chapter...

LOTR Notes:

Isengard - city that holds Orthanc, which is where Saruman lives.

A/N:

The next two chapters take place exclusively on Middle Earth.

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

Chapter Twenty-One

Arrivals

Draco caught Spike's wince as he dismounted. They had reached the fortress shortly after the townspeople. He had to admit that he did feel a bit safer behind the huge rock walls.

The fortress sat in a great bay of the mountains. The walls stood at least thirty feel high with one huge tower called the Hornburg. A causeway led up to the gate located in the tower.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked as he walked up to his uncle.

"An orc got lucky and cut my arm," Spike answered.

"It's got to be bad if it's still bothering you," Draco said, trying to get a look.

Spike twisted out of his grasp. "It's fine, just a scratch with a poison tipped blade. Nothing my healing powers can't handle."  
"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go check on Dawn and Harry. I'll take care of the horses." When Draco didn't move, he gave him a light push. "Take care of your girlfriend and friend. They need you as much as you need them."

Draco nodded and began looking for Dawn and Harry. The two had been wrapped up in their grief and he had left them alone. Therefore, they had gotten separated, forcing him to search now.

He understood their pain for he had the same hole in his heart. The redhead had been the first of Dawn's friends who had accepted him for who he was. She had shown him kindness and compassion while her brother ranted and raved at her for doing so. It was she who had helped him get back together with Dawn after their first huge fight.

Now she was gone. He would never hear her joyful laughter, have her trusted advice and willing ear to listen ever again. She was gone.

The blond swallowed back his tears as he found Dawn and Harry. They looked around lost and confused, as if they couldn't remember how they got there. He quickly walked up to them. "Come on. Let's find a place to rest," he said as he gently lead them inside.

Dawn and Harry mutely let him lead them through the people. They had stilled their faces until they could grieve again in private.

It didn't take Draco long to find an empty room and he pulled the two inside. Once he had shut the door, Dawn and Harry dropped to the floor as one. Draco crossed to them and joined them. He wrapped his arms around them and only then did he let his tears fall.

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "I know she was your friend, too. I was just so angry."  
"It's ok, Potter. I was a bit angry myself."

"It's my fault she's dead," Harry choked out. "I should have never started dating her, it's just too dangerous. She never would have followed me here if we weren't dating."

"You don't know that," Draco said.

Harry pulled back to look at him and Dawn. "Are you sure? She said herself that she wasn't going to let me wander in another dimension without her. It's my fault."

"She would have come anyways."

"No! It was because I was foolish enough to involve her. I should have waited until Voldemort was defeated before..."

"Stop it!" Dawn cried. "If Buffy had waited until her life wasn't dangerous she wouldn't have dated anybody, let alone Spike. Don't let Voldemort keep you from living the life you want to lead."

His green eyes overflowed with tears. "I can't believe she's gone. I didn't even get a chance to tell her that I loved her."

Dawn pulled him back into the group hug. "She knew. You didn't have to tell her, she already knew."

_scenebreak_

Ginny grunted as she slowly dragged Aragorn's unconscious body out of the water and onto the rocky shore. She had been able to get her wand out and slow their descent some, but they had still hit the water at a good speed. It had knocked the air out of her and she had lost Aragorn for several long seconds.

He had hit the water harder and had already started floating down the river. She swam over to him and tried to keep his head out of the water. It had been a painfully long time before the cliffs had given way to an accessible shoreline.

She sat on the ground next to him as she took a short breather and checked over her injuries. Somehow she had only ended up with a few cuts and bruises. Deciding she would live, she turned to inspect the Ranger.

A long cut on his arm had already stopped bleeding, but she ripped the edge of her tunic to bandage it. A large knot on the side of his head worried her though.

"Aragorn... Aragorn, wake up," she said as she shook him. "Oh please wake up, I don't know where to go."

"Arwen," he whispered.

"No, no Arwen. Just Ginny."

His eyes fluttered open and it took several seconds for them to focus upon her. "Where are we?"  
"On the bank of the river, farther downstream. Can you sit up?"

He gingerly pushed himself up and gasped in pain.

"What's wrong? What hurts?"

"My head," he answered as he pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead.

She pulled her wand out and waved it while muttering a few words. "How's that?"

"A little better," he said releasing his head.

"Wish I could do more but I haven't had any first-aid classes. The only reason I know that one is because of all our quidditch injuries," she said in way of apology.

Aragorn looked around to get his bearings. "We must continue on to Helm's Deep."

"We'll never make it on foot."

A smile crossed his face. "Who said we were going on foot?" He asked as he gestured behind her.

Her jaw dropped when she saw Brytta standing a few feet away. "How is that possible?"

"There are a few rare horses who are so loyal to their owner that they'll follow them unto the ends of the earth."

Ginny slowly stood and approached her horse. Brytta bent down to nuzzle her cheek. "But why me?"

"Only the horse knows why. He's named after a very generous king of Rohan," he answered as he came up beside her. "Perhaps he senses that he can provide something for you."

She could only stare at the horse in wonder.

"Come, we must continue on." He stood there and waited. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I was just waiting for you to get on him first."

"Nay, my lady. He has chosen his master. I would not demean his choice by removing the reins from your hands."

"You mean..."

"Yes, you are to sit in front."

Swallowing nervously, she climbed into the saddle then waited for him to join her. When he was seated, she urged the horse forward.

They had been riding for hours when Aragorn spotted something on the horizon. "Hold up," he said.

Ginny followed his gaze. A weight plummeted in her stomach as she saw the black bodies marching forward. "What are they?'

"Uruk-hais. They're marching on Rohan. We must hurry."

Not needing to be told twice, Ginny kicked her heels and they raced towards Helm's Deep.

_scenebreak_

Spike heard excited voices and he looked out to see two very familiar figures riding through the gate. "Buffy, luv. You've got to see this."

Confused by the cheer she heard in his voice, she walked over to the window. "Oh my god," she breathed. **Dawn, you guys need to go to the king's throne room.**

**Why?**

**Just trust me. All three of you need to go.** Buffy ordered.

**We'll be there in a sec.**

Buffy grabbed Spike's arm. "Come on!"

The two made it to the courtyard in time to hear Gimli growl, "I'm gonna kill him!"

Gimli made his way to Aragorn and said, "You are the luckiest, the canniest and the most reckless man I ever knew!" He wrapped his short arms around the Ranger's waist. "Bless you, laddie."

Ginny had little time to giggle before she found herself in a bone-crushing hug.

"Don't scare me like that again," Buffy cried.

"Air," Ginny croaked. Buffy lessened her hold, but only slightly. "Sorry, I'll try not to."

"My turn," Spike growled and Ginny was suddenly in the vampire's arms. "You gave us a good scare."

"Didn't mean to. I was trying to help Aragorn," she said into his shoulder.

"And help me she did. But we must speak with the king," Aragorn said seriously.

"Yeah, it's not good," Ginny added.

The five headed to the hall where the king was, but were stopped outside of the door by Legolas.

"Le ab-dollen. **_You're late_**." The elf looked the man over and frowned slightly. "You look terrible."

Aragorn couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. He looked down as Legolas handed him the knife he had left in the orc.

"Try to hold onto your weapon next time."

"Hannon le. _**Thank you**_" Aragorn said before embracing his friend.

Legolas turned to Ginny. "I am glad to see you again, Lady Ginny. I was saddened by the thought that the world was without your beautiful voice."

A blush crept up on her cheeks. Cheeks that got redder when the elf hugged her as well.

"Sweet Merlin," Draco whispered when he saw the two figures by the door.

"Oh my god," Dawn echoed.

"Tell me I'm not dreaming," Harry insisted. "Please tell me that I'm not dreaming."

"Nope. Here in the flesh," Ginny said as she walked over to them.

Harry threw his arms around her and pulled her close. "I thought I had lost you."

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.

He pulled back and looked into her brown eyes. "I love you. I didn't want another second to slip by without telling you that."  
She smiled. "I knew, but it was nice to hear you say it. I love you, too."

Dawn and Draco could restrain themselves no longer and threw their arms around the embracing couple.

After a few moments Spike spoke up. "As touching as this is kiddies, we need to have a chat with the king."  
The four broke apart, except Harry kept Ginny's hand firmly in his own. They followed the rest of their company into the hall where the king unknowingly awaited them.

After Théoden got over the initial shock of seeing Aragorn and Ginny alive, the Ranger got down to business.

"On our ride here, Lady Ginny and I saw a great host of Uruk-hai heading this way."  
"It was huge," the redhead added.

"A great host you say?" Théoden asked thoughtfully.

"All Isengard is emptied. They are ten thousand strong at least."  
"Ten thousand?!" Théoden asked in surprise.

"No biggie. Spike and I can take care of the first nine thousand, you guys can have the rest," Buffy said cheekily.

Théoden whirled to face her. "This is no game, girl. This is no time for laughter."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who said I was laughing?"  
Aragorn stepped between them. "They will be here by nightfall."

"Let them come!" Théoden and Buffy said at the same time.

The king glared at her, then turned to a man they had been introduced to as Gamling. "I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall."  
Gamling nodded and left.

"We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg."  
"This is no rabble of mindless orcs," Gimli protested. "These are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad."  
"I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep," Théoden said. "They will break upon this fortress like water on rock...."  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Buffy said in exasperation. "We get it. _You_ believe the walls will hold. _I_ think we need more help."

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you, Lady Buffy. The old alliances are dead."  
"Gondor will answer," Aragorn said hotly.

"Gondor?" Théoden countered. "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gondor when my s... No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone." He turned to Háma. "Get the women and the children into the caves."  
"We need more time to lay provisions for a siege," he argued.

"There is no time! War is upon us!" Then he left the room to help his people.

"Didn't I just say that yesterday?" Buffy asked, looking at the others.

_scenebreak_

Harry and Ginny had managed to find a fairly secluded corner of the fortress to rest in. As he held her, he thought of how empty he felt when he thought she was dead.

It really was his fault that she was in danger, no matter what Dawn and Draco had said. She was in danger there because they were in the middle of a war. She'd be in danger back home because she was the Boy-Who-Lived's girlfriend and Voldemort would kill her because of what it would do to him. The girl he loved wasn't safe anywhere.

He had no right to endanger her this way. It was selfish of him to put his own happiness before the safety of those he held dear. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to steel his heart for what he had to do - break things off with Ginny while she was still alive.

She stirred in his arms and he looked down to see concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"We need to talk," he said, pulling back from her.

"About what?"

"Us," he answered, dropping his gaze.

Ginny froze, but her heart started beating faster in her chest. Somehow she just knew the words that would be coming out of his mouth. "But you love me."

"It's because I love you that I need to let you go. It's not fair that I'm putting your life in danger..."  
"You don't think I know that?" She cried, her own tears pouring out of her eyes. "I knew that being with you would put my life in danger. But it was because I loved you that I wanted to stand beside you and help you fight!" She had jumped to her feet at sometime during her tirade.

"I'm tired of people getting hurt or killed because of me. First my parents, then Cedric. Sirius was imprisoned for years, you nearly died. I can't carry the burden anymore!" He yelled, standing.

"That's why I'm here to help, you big idiot!" She said, poking his shoulder with a finger. "You're not suppose to carry it alone. That's what friends are for!"  
He stopped and stared at her. Galadriel's' message ran through his head - you will only win if you let your friends help.

Harry dropped to his knees in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I just didn't want to be responsible if anything would have happened to you."

"It wouldn't have been your fault. I would have helped you even if we weren't dating," she said, joining him on the floor.

"How can you forgive me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I love you silly. Or had you forgotten?"  
"No, I hadn't," he said with a small smile. Then he pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

_scenebreak_

After taking time for a brief nap, the other world visitors headed to the armory. They had plenty of weapons, but they were hoping to find some armor to fit them. The six had walked in to find Aragorn and Legolas already there.

"You wouldn't happen to know if there is anything lighter than chain mail here?" Spike asked as they moved about, looking over what was left.

"Nay, only the mail is left," Aragorn answered.

"Then I guess we're good then."

Legolas looked at them in surprise. "You will not wear any armor?"

"It would just get in the way," Buffy said with a shrug. "Besides, that stuff is kind of heavy."

"So says the girl with super strength," Ginny mocked with a grin. She was holding tight to Harry's hand.

"I meant for you guys," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes.

All heads turned to see Gimli enter struggling with a mail coat. "If we had more time, I'd get this adjusted," he told them. Then he let it drop and the lower half of the mail piled on the floor.

The girls started to giggle, while Aragorn and Legolas looked on in amusement.

"It's a little tight across the chest," he said defensively.

Their ears perked as they heard a horn blowing outside. Buffy and Spike frowned as they tried to place where they had heard it before.

"That is no orc horn," Legolas said. They all paused for a moment, then as one, they ran outside.

As they got close to the gate, they could hear a familiar voice. "I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between elves and men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that Allegiance."

Aragorn ran down the steps as he said, "Mae govannen, Haldir." He surprised the elf by hugging him. "You are most welcome."

"Haldir!" Buffy and Dawn cried as they ran down to give him their own hugs.

"Lady Buffy? Lady Amaurëa?" He said in clear surprise. "I did not know you were here. Did all of your friends come?"

"Nah, just Spike and Draco. But we brought a few more. That's Harry and Ginny," Dawn said. The two waved and smiled.

"I thought you had your own war to fight," he said in confusion.

"We did. Then our war interfered with yours... It's a long story," Buffy said. "I'll tell you all about it later."  
Dawn frowned and poked him. "Did you know how hard it is to try and shoot a bow and arrow from on top of a moving horse and try to hit a moving target?"  
Haldir spread his hands wide and shrugged. "I offered more lessons."

"Guys, you can catch up later. If you haven't forgotten, the nasties are coming our way. I'm sure the king would like to add all the pretty elves to his reinforcements," Spike said, interrupting them.


	22. Helm's Deep

Hello all. Here's the next chapter. The next one will be up next Sunday.

****

Review Responses:

harmoni, if you thought things were bad for Harry and Ginny in the last chapter, just wait until you see what I've got planned for them later on. And I had to be a little of quippy Buffy in there, she's been decidedly absent for a while.

clcountry, you'll just have to read on to find out what happens to Haldir. :)

John, I hope I don't disappoint too badly with this battle. I tend to detest writing them, as they are usually problematic for me. But I'm crossing my fingers.

Kyra2, trying to send Buffy back with the women would have overly complicated things, plus he had seen slight evidence of her abilities during the warg battle. He does have his people to think about. And I'm glad you liked everyone's reactions.

****

A/N:

I broke the first part of the chapter up into little scenes, but once the battle starts it starts to jump around from person to person.

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

****

Chapter Twenty-Two

Helm's Deep

"You guys try to stick close to Aragorn," Buffy told Harry and Ginny before she left to go stand with Legolas and Gimli.

"Wait!" Ginny cried. "Harry and I thought of something."

"What?"

"Could we use magic against the orcs?"

The slayer frowned. "Galadriel said not to."  
"No. She didn't," Ginny said with a shake of her head. "She told _Dawn _not to use _her_ magic. She said nothing about the rest of us."

"She didn't, did she?" Buffy asked with a grin. "Wand away then." Then she headed back.

Ginny beamed at Harry. "Advantage for us."

__

scenebreak

Buffy walked along the Deepening Wall until she reached her spot. "We should pass word along to the others that the kids are going to be using magic."

"Are you sure that is wise?" Legolas asked.

"I was making harder decisions than that at their age. They say it will be fine and I believe them."  
Legolas studied her for a moment and then inclined his head slightly. "If you believe it, then that is enough for me. What about you Master Dwarf?"  
"I'll believe it. Any girl who can fight like ten men has my faith."

__

scenebreak

Dawn bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she looked out into the deepening night. Off in the distance she could see faint, flickering torchlight.

**__**

I do wish you were wearing more armor Amaurëa, Haldir said from beside her.

**__**

I may be tough, but it would just slow me down. I'm fine with this. Dawn said, pulling on the leather jerkin that Aragorn had finally found and told her to wear. She tilted her head to the side for a moment before saying, **_Buffy said that Ginny and Harry are going to be using magic. Might want to warn the others so they don't freak._**

Haldir nodded and began passing the word.

She turned to Draco. "Buffy said you could use yours if you wanted."

"I might. What about you?"

"Too dangerous. It's too close to my elven magic."

__

scenebreak

Ginny turned to Aragorn. "Where's the burning pitch?"

"What?"

"In all the old stories from home about sieges there was always burning pitch to throw over the wall. Where's ours?"

"We don't have pitch," he said slowly.

"Then what about burning oil?"

__

scenebreak

Buffy's eyes widened as she looked out over the sea of incoming orcs. She knew when Aragorn said that there were over ten thousand that that meant there was a lot. She just didn't realize that a lot was that many.

She heard grunting and looked over to see Gimli hopping to try and look over the nearly chest high wall that served as protection for them.

"You could have picked a better spot," the dwarf grumbled.

Legolas smirked at him as Aragorn stepped up behind them.

"We ready?" Spike asked and the Ranger nodded in response.

"Well lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night," Gimli said, resting his hands atop his ax.

"That's a jinx if I ever heard one," Spike muttered just before lightening flashed, followed by a crash of thunder.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Buffy accused him.

"Your friends are with you, Aragorn," Legolas said over the sound of marching orcs.

"Let's hope they last the night," Gimli said softly.

Aragorn clasped Legolas' shoulder one last time before going back to stand with Harry and Ginny.

"He's real talkative tonight," Spike commented to no one in particular.

"Perfect. Just what we needed," Buffy sighed as she could hear rain hitting the armor on those around her. "I hate rain." She looked at Spike and said, "This is all your fault."

The sudden silence distracted Spike from making a retort. They looked out to see that the orcs had stopped.

"What's happening out there?" Gimli asked, jumping once again.

"Should I describe it to you?" Legolas asked with a smile. "Or would you like me to find you a box?"

Buffy and Spike laughed along with Gimli. If they could only keep their spirits up, they should all make it through the night.

__

scenebreak

"This is going to be miserable," Dawn complained as water dripped off the tip of her nose. "Fighting is bad enough on its own, but to have to do it in the rain..."

Draco swallowed back his stomach's flip-flopping to smile at her. "Lodge a complaint with Mother Nature."

A lone arrow cutting through the night silenced her reply. She watched it strike an orc and it slowly toppled forward. The ones around it just stared in disbelief.

She couldn't help it. She let out a giggle Elven eyes all around her turned to her in surprise and dismay, but she didn't care. Somehow the laughter lightened her spirits and she pulled an arrow out of her quiver with a smile. The others did the same, and together they waited for the signal.

Just when she thought the tension could get no thicker, she heard Aragorn cry, **_Prepare to fire_**! She obediently notched her arrow and waited again. After only a few seconds he commanded, **_Release the arrows!_**

Dawn let hers fly and watched as rank after rank of orcs fell lifelessly to the ground. As she continued to fire, she was dimly aware of arrows flying over her head. When she had first heard that they planned to place elven archers on the ground behind them, she had been a little skeptical, but had trusted Aragorn. Now, she could see that they, too, were able to eliminate orcs and not any of the good guys.

Arrow after arrow was fired and orcs dropped like flies. But for every one that fell, ten more took its place. They began to fire their own arrows and crossbolts at the defenders. Flashes of light could be seen coming from the Wall as Ginny, Harry, and Spike targeted enemy archers.

"Don't suppose you have a shielding spell?" Buffy asked Spike as the guy next to her was hit.

"It works as long as you don't want to shoot back," he answered after sending another curse.

"Never mind," she said.

"Ginny, try hitting the ladders!" Harry called out as the orcs began raising huge ladders so they could scale the walls.

She threw a fire spell, but it fizzled. "The wood is too wet!"

Harry cursed. "I don't know anything to knock it apart with."  
"It's too late!" She cried as the orcs began to flow over the wall.

Draco had never been more thankful that Dawn had talked him into cutting his hair. The rain had caused it to become plastered to his forehead. Any longer and he would have problems seeing through the blond strands.

He clashed swords with an orc before kicking it away from him. Using the extra room, he quickly ran it through and then ducked under the sword of another. Before he righted himself, Dawn cut its head off. He took a half a second to assure himself that she was unhurt before engaging another.

Buffy was kicking an orc off the wall when she heard Gimli cry, "Legolas, two already!" Then Legolas' reply of, "I'm on seventeen!"

"Argh!" Gimli cried in outrage. "I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!"

"You have to do better than that, boys!" Buffy called out. "I'm on twenty-six!"

The two turned to look at her in surprise only to see her knives whirling in a deadly dance. Every attacker that came near her never had a chance.

"Thirty!" She blithely cried.

Grinning, the dwarf and elf returned to the battle and their competition.

Dawn frowned as she heard Gimli counting. "Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!" _What on earth was he doing?_

****

Counting his kills. Legolas, Gimli, and I are having a friendly contest. Came Buffy's voice in her head.

****

Did I think that that loudly? Dawn asked as she cut the arm off an orc before running it through.

****

Yes, you did love. Draco said.

****

Sorry.

She could hear Aragorn telling Legolas to bring someone down. She turned to see Legolas firing at an orc running with a torch towards the wall. The others had cleared a path for it and he ran like a bat out of hell.

Legolas had already hit it twice, but it wouldn't give up. Dropping her own sword, she drew an arrow and fired. The orc dropped when her arrow struck its head. But another picked the torch up and carried on.

It dove into the culvert that allowed the stream to enter the ravine through the wall and that's when all hell broke loose.

A huge section of the wall exploded sending rock and bodies flying in every direction. It had been such a shock that all movement stilled for a moment.

"Bloody hell," Draco whispered. Then his eye spotted several familiar figures lying motionless on the ground. "Shit! Aragorn and Ginny!"

"Go," Dawn said. "I'll cover you."

He took a running leap off the wall and rolled when he hit the ground. Recovering quickly he ran towards his fallen friends. Dimly he was aware of arrows hitting any orc that was near him.

By the time he had reached them, they were starting to come to. "You two have to stay separated from now on. Trouble just finds you," he said in relief.

They got shakily to their feet in time to see Gimli leap from the wall into the middle of the orcs that were streaming through the breached wall. The dwarf was knocking orcs out left and right, but it was clear that he would soon be overpowered.

Aragorn raised his sword and looked at the elves that had been left on the ground. "Charge!"

"I don't see Harry!" Ginny cried.

"I'm sure he's fine, let's go," Draco assured her.

Ginny and Draco charged forward minding the spears that were looking for a fresh body to slaughter.

"Gunpowder?!" Buffy cried as she cut down an orc. "No one mentioned gunpowder existed here! That's important info!"

"I don't think they knew either," Spike said, throwing an orc over the wall. "They seemed to be just as confused."

Dawn could hear Aragorn ordering them to the Keep. She had just slashed an orc across the chest when she heard Haldir cry out in pain. She looked up to see him pressing a hand to his side and an orc with a raised ax coming up behind him.

Not thinking, she raised her hand and cried, "Súrë!" A gust of wind sent it flying back, then she ran to the injured elf.

"You're glowing," he said softly, only his eyes betraying the pain he was in.

"Crap," she muttered. She forced her magic to calm and the green light died. "Let's get you out of here." Then she helped him make his way inside.

Spike reached the gateroom of the Hornburg shortly after the gate had been breached. He had gotten separated from Buffy during the retreat, but he knew she was fine. He could see Aragorn and Gimli slipping out a side exit and followed them.

They stepped onto a small ledge just to the side of the main gate. Aragorn peered around the corner to see the orcs storming the gate.

"Come on! We can take 'em!" Gimli encouraged.

"It's a long way," Aragorn informed him.

Gimli took a look and mumbled, "Toss me."  
"What?"  
"I cannot jump the distance! You'll have to toss me!" Aragorn nodded and went to grab him. "Don't tell the elf."

"Not a word," Aragorn promised before throwing him. Then he and Spike leaped over.

The causeway was barely wide enough for the three of them to stand next to each other. One by one, the orcs fell before them. They could hear sounds of the gate being braced behind them.

"Aragorn! Gimli! Spike! Get out of there!" Théoden ordered before the last timber was in place.

They couldn't go through the gate and they'd never make it back to the ledge so they fought on, until they heard Legolas' voice from above and saw a rope lowered to them.

"Go!" Spike told Aragorn and Gimli.

"What about yourself?" Aragorn asked.

"Don't worry about me, just go!" Spiked ordered. He shoved them towards the rope and turned back to the orcs.

Not worried about hiding who he was, he let his game face come forward. With a vicious roar, he let his demon tear into the orcs.

When his enhanced hearing told him the two had reached the top, he reined his demon back in. Cutting down two more orcs to give him room, he looked up and gauged the distance. He crouched and pushed off. Reaching out, his fingers grabbed on to the ledge and then two men helped him over.

"How did you..." Legolas started.

"Not now, later," Spike said.

Harry saw Draco slip and fall back in the mud. As the blond recovered an orc came up on him. The Gryffindor made a flying tackle and knocked it to the ground. Rolling off of it and onto his feet, he quickly cut its head off.

"Thanks Harry," Draco breathed.  
"Don't mention it."

Ginny heard the call to retreat inside and she began herding the teenaged boys around her. One, who was not much older than herself, had become paralyzed with fear as an orc came at him.

Anger boiled in her blood that the orcs were taking so many lives, but she would not let them have that one if she could do anything about it. She knew she'd never reach him in time so she raised her wand. "Avada kedavra!"

Green light speared the darkness and hit the orc, killing it. The boy looked at her with wide eyes before finally following the others. It was only then that she realized she had used an Unforgivable.

__

scenebreak

"Are you ok?" Dawn asked Ginny when she had joined the others in the Great Hall.

Ginny's face was pale and her eyes full of pain. "Yeah, just a little tired."

Dawn looked at her in disbelief, but didn't say anything. There were bigger things to worry about, like the army of orcs beating on the door.

"The fortress is taken. It is over," Théoden said in defeat.

"What?" Buffy cried.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it!" Aragorn reminded him. "They still defend it! They have died defending it!"

"I for one am not giving up until I'm dead. And even then, I might keep fighting," Buffy added.

"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked.

"There is one passage," Gamling said. "It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many."

"Send word for them to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance," he ordered.

"Ginny and I will go," Dawn said.

"Me too," said Harry, and the three headed for the caves.

"So much death," Théoden said sadly. "What can men do against such reckless hate?"

Aragorn's eyes shined in desperation as he said, "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory."

"For Rohan. For your people."

"The sun is rising," Gimli said and they all looked to see pale sunlight shining through the windows.

With renewed vigor and determination, Théoden cried, "Yes. Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep one last time!"

"Yes!" Gimli cheered and he ran up the steps to the horn.

There was a flurry of movement as the horses were brought into the hall to make the charge.

Buffy knew that this was a final act of desperation. She hoped Dawn, Ginny, and Harry would find a way home one day. She wished Draco had gone with them, but she could tell by the determined look in his eye that he wasn't going anywhere.

She pulled Spike to her for one final toe-curling kiss. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. But we're going to make it," he assured her, but she didn't answer.

They mounted their horses and waited for the signal.

"Fell deeds awake!" Théoden exclaimed. "Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!"

A deep horn could be heard as the door finally gave way. Holding his sword high, Théoden commanded, "Forth Eorlingas!!"

The horses surged forward, knocking down and running over any orcs in the way. They rode through the fortress and out onto the causeway. Buffy's stamina began to wear thin as she swung her sword time and again.

However, a bright light on top of the ravine caught her eye. She could see a lone rider looking down at them. The fighting around them slowed as a huge body of horses came charging down the ravine with Gandalf in the lead.

"Whoo hoo!!" She cried as the orcs began to break and run.


	23. On To Isengard

Hello everyone! The next chapter will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

Panther28, It has almost been a week and a half in ME and almost three weeks in our time. You'll see the time difference better in chp. 25.

John, first for your question, it's just the way it was in the book and the movie. The movie played the scene up some, but the book never told how the gunpowder was placed or lit, just that it exploded. As for the bows, it rained in both the book and movie. I couldn't really mess with the weather, Buffy and Co. wouldn't have affected it. Tolkien even had them shooting arrows in the book. Legolas even comments at one time that he has to scrounge for arrows because he's out. Until you had said something, it never occurred to me that rain would affect the bows.

harmoni, thanks for letting me know about the fight scene. I usually have problems when I just write a tiny one in a chapter, but to have a whole chapter of nothing but fighting was reeking havoc on my nerves. And aren't I so cruel to Ginny and Dawn? The sad thing is, is that I'm not done with them yet. :)

Kyra2, thanks for the review! I'm glad you found that last chapter exciting. I was kind of worried about it.

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twenty-Three

On To Isengard

Draco smiled as he saw the orcs running. He couldn't believe they had won against impossible odds. **Dawn you can leave the caves. The orcs just retreated.**

What happened?

Gandalf arrived with Éomer and about a thousand horsemen.

Whoo hoo! I'll tell the others.

He urged his horse forward until he was sitting next to Buffy and Spike. The three looked at the forest that extended out in front of them. The trees shook and creaked as the orcs ran into them.

"Since when were there trees?" Buffy asked. "I don't remember riding through trees yesterday."

"Because we didn't," Spike said. "I think Gandalf brought them."

"Me?" Said the wizard, who was just a few feet away. "That is no deed of mine."

"Then if not yours, whose is the wizardry?" Théoden asked.

"It is not wizardry, but a power far older. A power that walked the earth, ere elf san or hammer rang.

Ere iron was found or tree was hewn,

When young was mountain under moon;

Ere ring was made, or wrought was woe,

It walked the forests long ago."

"Great more riddles," Spike said. "Do you have an answer for that one, or are we supposed to figure it out?"  
"If you would learn that you should come with me to Isengard," Gandalf told him.

"To Isengard?" They all cried.

"My men are weary and there are not enough of them to assault the stronghold of Saruman."

"He's got a point," Buffy said. "It's been a long two days. A lot of them are injured."

"I go not to fight, but to talk," Gandalf said as he turned to Théoden. "He has done you a great injury, it would be fitting if you were there. Let all who are to ride with me rest now. We will journey under the shadow of evening."

Théoden nodded his head in agreement. "Lady Buffy, I owe you a deep apology. You have more than proven that you are no mere woman, but a warrior to be reckoned with. I am sorry that I've treated you so poorly over the past several days. I know now that you were also as concerned for the safety of my people, as I was."

"It's no biggie," she said with a smile. "You were under a lot of pressure and I was a complete stranger arguing with you. It was kind of understandable."

"I am still sorry."

"Apology accepted."

They turned then, to go back into the Keep to rest. Legolas rode up next to Buffy. "Have you seen Gimli? I wish to know how he fared."

"I think I see him over there," she pointed. "Let's go pay him a visit." She turned to the others. "I'll see you guys inside." Then she and Legolas rode over to where Gimli sat calmly atop an orc smoking his pipe.

Legolas and Buffy dismounted and stood before the dwarf. "Final count, forty-two," Legolas said.

"Forty-two? That's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three," Gimli said with pride.

Quick as lightening Legolas drew an arrow and fired. It landed in the orc between Gimli's legs. "Forty-three," he said smugly.

"He was already dead."  
"He was twitching."

"He was twitching because he's got my axe embedded in his nervous system!" Gimli wiggled the ax in the orc's head and the orcs' body moved in response.

"I really hate to disappoint you boys, but I lost count at seventy-five," Buffy said sagely.

"Seventy-five?" They asked in surprise.

"They don't call me the slayer for nothing."

scenebreak

"I can't believe Buffy and Spike are letting us sleep in the same room, in the same bed, with no one else around," Dawn said as she slipped under the covers with Draco. A small room had been provided for them to rest in after they had cleaned up.

"Probably because they knew we are too tired to do anything but sleep," he answered, pulling her close. He inhaled her soft scent as he buried his nose in her damp hair.

"True," she said, her voice already heavy with sleep. After a few minutes she said, "I'm worried about Ginny."

"Hmmm, why?"

"Something happened during the battle."

"Like what?""I'm not sure," she admitted, her eyes falling shut. "But she was pale and wouldn't say much. Just kept saying she was tired.""Maybe she was," Draco mumbled.

"I don't think so," Dawn said, just before drifting off to sleep.

scenebreak

Faith sat in the Scooby common room and stared at the fire. This was the first time in nearly three weeks that she had a moment to herself, and she was spending it worrying.

It was just that, suddenly, there was so much setting on her shoulders. She was, for the first time, the only slayer. Well, technically Buffy was still alive, but she was on another world. That meant Faith was the sole slayer in her world.

It also meant, that she was the one responsible for the world's safety and the others looked to her for guidance. The scoobies not so much, but the students did. It was terrifying.

She finally understood what it was like to be Buffy and felt even guiltier for what she had put the older slayer through. All that time, she had been envious of Buffy and her friends never knowing how hard it was. How lonely it was. She couldn't wait for Buffy to come back and resume her leadership role.

Not that Faith was giving up, she was just feeling a little out of her element. She had accepted this job and she was going to do it to the best of her ability - no matter how much it scared her.

scenebreak

The sun was already beginning to set when the company finally rode out of the Deep. While the main company and Théoden had rested, the people of Rohan set about burying their dead and burning the orc bodies.

When they reached the edge of the woods they halted, the horses balking. The trees were grey and menacing with a mist hanging about them. Gandalf moved forward and the others had no choice but to follow.

"It is hot in here," Legolas said to no one in particular. "I feel a great wrath about me." No one felt inclined to disagree.

They had been riding for some time when Buffy asked, "How far is it to Iceland?"  
"Pardon?" Gandalf asked.

"She means Isengard," Spike supplied.

"Ah. About fifteen league. But we will not ride all the way there tonight."

"Ok," Buffy said and they resumed riding in silence.

The trees themselves seemed to press upon them and they were loath to disturb them. When at last they had passed through, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"There are eyes!" Legolas cried. "Eyes looking out from the shadow of the boughs. I've never seen such eyes before." He whirled his horse around to go back.

"No! No!" Gimli said from behind him. "Do as you please in your madness, but let me get down from this horse. I wish to see no eyes!"

"Stay, Legolas Greenleaf!" Gandalf instructed. "Do not go back into the wood. Now is not your time."

Legolas seemed to almost pout, but refrained from going back into the wood. Large figures could be seen moving through the trees.

"You need no weapons," Gandalf said as some of the king's men reached for their swords. "Those are herdsmen, they are not enemies. In fact, they are not concerned with us."

"Herdsmen?" Harry asked.

"They are the shepherds of the trees. The Ents of Fangorn Forest," Gandalf explained.

Harry remembered Legolas mentioning them when they had camped beside the woods what was only a few nights before.

After several hours they stopped by the shores of the Isen River to camp for the night.

Buffy and Spike, having gotten their fill of sleep earlier and being nocturnal creatures, volunteers to be part of the first watch. Legolas and Aragorn, who were also part of the first watch, approached them after everyone had fallen asleep.  
"Will you not tell us now how you accomplished that leap during the battle?" Legolas asked.

Spike sighed. "You're not going to like it, mate."

"Let us decide that," Legolas said.

"You've seen for yourself what Buffy is able to do."

"Her skills are most impressive," Aragorn said. "I've never seen the like."

"Superior speed and strength are given to slayers to help us fight the evil in our world," Buffy said.

"Is the evil there really that much stronger than humans?" Aragorn asked.

"Much. Your orcs are nothing compared to the baddies I fight." Buffy waited and let Legolas and Aragorn process the information.

It was Legolas who figured it out first. He looked at Spike, "You're part of that evil."

"Once was. Sometimes a slayer's heart is enough to turn an evil one good," Spike said with a small smile as he gazed lovingly at Buffy.

"What manner of evil are you?" Aragorn asked.

"Vampire," he answered with a shrug. "Drink blood, go all demony."

"You drink blood?" The two asked in surprise.

"Yup. A little every day." He inwardly winced when he saw the fear in their eyes. "Relax, I don't need your blood. It's all taken care of."

"You can trust Spike," Buffy assured them. "I trust him with my life."

"It is not that we did not trust him," Legolas said with a frown. "It is that we are more saddened by the fact that you did not tell us sooner."  
"We just weren't sure how you'd take it." Buffy said, looking out into the surrounding darkness. "My own friends have problems accepting it. So if they had problems, you can see why we were worried about you."

The two nodded and went back to their posts.

scenebreak

Shortly before noon, they reached a hill overlooking Isengard. Great pillars of steam rose up from the water that filled the city. Sections of the wall that surrounded it had been reduced to rubble and the great gate was twisted on the ground. Inside the ruined city was a tall, dark tower that Gandalf informed them was called Orthanc and Saruman resided there.

As they rode down the hill, they became aware of two small figures sitting atop a great rubble heap next to the gate. There were bottles and bowls laid out beside them with food still piled up.

One of the figures stood and said, "Welcome my lords to Isengard!"

Dawn leaned over to Buffy. "Is it me, or does Merry seem drunk?"

"You young rascals!" Gimli cried from his perch behind Legolas. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and smoking."

Pippin, whose mouth was still full of food, leaned forward and replied, "We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good."  
"Salted pork?" Gimli asked.

Gandalf shook his head and muttered, "Hobbits."

"We're under orders from Treebeard, who has taken over management of Isengard," Merry said, throwing his arms wide. It was only then that he noticed certain members of the company. "Buffy! Dawn! When did you get back?"  
Théoden laughed. "It cannot be doubted that we are witnessing the meeting of dear friends. So these are the lost members of your company? Gandalf these days are filled with marvels. Are these not halflings of the old tales?"

"Hobbits, if you please," said Pippin.

"Very well, hobbits."

Dawn and Buffy dismounted and quickly climbed the rumble to hug their friends.

Merry grinned when he was finally released. "I have wandered in many lands since I've left my home and never had I met any people who knew stories about hobbits."

"I have heard of the halfling fold who lived in holes in the ground, but they are more of passing tales. And they have never mentioned that they could spout smoke from their mouths," the king said in slight wonder.

"That is not surprising," said Merry, settling back down on the rubble. "It is an art which we have not practiced for more then a few generations. It was Tobold Hornblower of Longbottom in the Southfarthing, who first grew the true pipe-weed in his gardens, about the year 1070 according to our reckoning. How old Toby came by the plant..."

"You do not know your danger, Théoden," interrupted Gandalf. "These hobbits will sit on the edge of ruin and discuss the pleasures of the table, of the small doings of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, and remoter cousins to the ninth degree, if you encourage them with undue patience. Some other time would be more fitting for the history of smoking. Where is Treebeard, Merry?"

"Away on the north side, I believe," Merry replied. "Oh, and he left you a message. I was coming to it, but I have been hindered by many other questions. I was to say that, if the Lord of the Mark and Gandalf will ride to the northern wall they will find Treebeard there, and he will welcome them."

Gandalf smiled. "Well, Théoden, will you ride with me to find Treebeard? When you see him, you will learn much."  
Buffy and Dawn sat upon the rubble. "We'll stay here and hang out with Merry and Pippin," Dawn said as she grabbed an apple off one of the plates.

"I believe we shall stay also," Aragorn said, looking at Legolas and Gimli.

The old wizard smiled and rode off with the king and his men.


	24. The Palantir

Next chapter will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

Panther28, a late Happy Halloween to you, too. You'll just have to see who goes where. I've got several plans and I don't want to give too much away.

Buffy Fan, sounds to me like someone is picking up on some of my subtle hints. Read on to see who goes where.

John, actually Tobold has no relation. But when I reread that section of the book, I just had to put it in. I can honestly see those little hobbits going on and on about pipeweed while destruction reigns behind them. :)

Harmoni, you know me, love to torture my characters. Things will get worse for her before they get better.

Kyra2, the hobbits are adorable aren't they?

Thank you guys so much for your reviews! You guys rock!

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Palantir

After introducing everybody, they all sat down to eat. Merry and Pippin told them the story of their capture and how they met Treebeard, the leader of the Ents. They all listen in fascination to the story of how the Ents attacked Isengard and trapped Saruman in his tower.

"What I don't understand is why you're back," Merry said around his pipe. "Not that I'm complaining mind you, it is good to see you again. But I thought you had your own problems back home."

"We do," Buffy answered. "Our bad guy tried to catch Frodo, Sam, and the ring."

"What?" Pippin asked.

"Frodo and Sam are somewhere in our world and it wasn't safe for Harry there. So we came here."

"Why not?" Merry asked. "What's so important about him?"

"It's what I'd like to know," Harry muttered so low that only Buffy and Spike could hear him.

"Moldy Wart, our bad guy, is kind of after him. Combine evil wizard with evil ring of power and you've got a lot of badness," Buffy explained while she examined the fruit on one of the plates. "We brought him here to he could be safe."

"Yes, because being in the middle of a war is any safer," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

"But there's no mad wizard with a ring after you here either," Dawn pointed out.

"Voldemort doesn't have the ring either," Harry countered.

"I thought you said he did," Merry said, trying to keep pace with the conversation.

Buffy shook her head. "He tried to get it, but things went crazy. Frodo and Sam got pulled to somewhere else with the ring. Willow is looking for them."

"Is that safe?" Pippin asked with big eyes. "She got kind of scary the last time she was near it.""Only because she wasn't prepared," Spike said. "She knows how to prevent that from happening again."

Gandalf chose that moment to ride up to them with Théoden and his men. "I hope you companions have all rested and refreshed yourselves?" The old wizard asked.

"Yup," Dawn said, rubbing her stomach. "Belly is all full."

"I have one last task to do before I go. I must pay Saruman a farewell visit. Dangerous and probably useless, but it must be done. Those of you who wish may come with me - but beware! And do not jest! This is not the time for it."

They all stood to go, but Gandalf stopped them. "Perhaps it would be wise if you and your friends remained here, Lady Buffy. I do not know yet how Saruman is sending information to Sauron, and I would like to keep the knowledge of your presence here a secret for as long as possible."

"Hey, sounds good to me. If it helps keep Harry safe, then we're good to go," Buffy said with a smile. At Gandalf's confused look, she clarified, "It means we'll stay. You guys go, we'll stay here."The six other worlders sat down and watched their friends ride off to meet the former White Wizard.

scenebreak

Neville anxiously paced his bedroom. What the hell had he been thinking when he invited Blaise to go to Hogsmeade with him? Was it some sort of sign that an apocalypse was fast approaching? He had asked a girl out!

Now granted, he told her that they'd be hanging out with his friends, but still. He. Asked. A. Girl. Out. And at the time he hadn't even been nervous about it. Which was odd in and of itself because he had never asked a girl out before.

She was smart, quite beautiful, and at times she intimidated him. But when he had asked her to go to Hogsmeade, it had seemed very easy and natural. However, now as he thought about it, he began to panic.

What were they supposed to talk about? Where were they supposed to go? It wasn't like neither of them had never been to Hogsmeade before, but it was different this time. He'd be there with a girl. Him. With a girl.

"Oh, this is so not good," he muttered. Maybe he should just tell her he can't go, that he was sick. No, she'd never believe that. All the work he had done to try and make her feel more comfortable would be thrown out the window.

No, he was going to have to go to Hogsmeade with her. He only hoped his friends wouldn't pick on him too much. Hopefully, with her actually being there, they'd lay off some. Especially since she could probably kick all of their asses. Yeah, that would help.

His breathing slowed and he sat down on the edge of his bed. He would be fine. As long as he remained calm and didn't think about how beautiful she was, he would be just fine. Yeah, right.

scenebreak

Some time later, the company returned with dour looks on their faces. Merry was riding behind Gandalf, while Pippin was with Aragorn.

"We must ride back to Helm's Deep," Gandalf said.

While they got on their horses, two of the king's men rode out before them and soon passed out of sight. The rest followed at an easier pace.

"How long are we riding tonight?" Draco asked.

"Just for a few hours. But tomorrow we need to ride faster," Gandalf informed him.

True to Gandalf's word, they stopped only a few hours later and made camp. The sun had set just an hour before.

As Dawn snuggled into Draco's arms she whispered, "I think this was the easiest day we've had since we got here. No running, no fighting, met up with Merry and Pippin. Yeah, good day."

"And it will probably be our last one," Draco said with a sigh as they both drifted off to sleep.

It was several hours later that the entire camp was woken by Pippin's screams. Everyone came instantly awake to find the hobbit lying rigidly on the ground with a glowing crystal orb next to him.

Gandalf quickly threw his cloak over the orb and cried, "So this is the thief! But you, Pippin. This is a grievous turn to things." He knelt by the prone hobbit. A worried look appeared on the wizards' face for Pippin's eyes stared up unseeingly. "The devilry! What mischief has he done to himself, and to all of us?"

He spent several long minutes examining the hobbit while the others anxiously waited. Pippin suddenly relaxed and turned his eyes to the wizard. "Gandalf! Gandalf, forgive me."

"Forgive you? Tell me first what you've done," Gandalf ordered.

"I... I took the ball and looked in it and I saw things that frightened me. And I wanted to go away, but I couldn't. And then he came and questioned me; and he looked at me, and, and, that is all I remember."

"That won't do," Gandalf said. "What did you see, and what did you say?"

Pippin shut his eyes and shivered. "I saw him. He asked who I was and I told him that I was a hobbit. He laughed at me. It was cruel. It was like being stabbed with knives. Then he gloated over me. I felt I was falling to pieces. I don't remember anything else."

"Look at me," said Gandalf.

The hobbit looked straight into his eyes. The wizard held his gaze for a minute. Then his face grew gentler, and a shadow of a smile appeared.

"All right, say no more. You have taken no harm. There is no lie in your eyes, as I feared. But he did not speak long with you. A fool, but an honest fool you remain Peregrin Took." He let the hobbit lay back on the ground. "Stay here and rest if you can. Trust me. If you feel and itch in your palms again, tell me of it. These things can be cured."

Then Gandalf turned to the others and led them a short distance away.

"How is he?" Dawn asked, concern written on her face.

"I think all will be well now. He was not held long, and hobbits have an amazing power of recovery. The memory, or the horror of it, will probably fade quickly." Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "Will you, Aragorn, take the Orthanc-stone and guard it? It is a dangerous charge."

Buffy watched the Ranger carefully as he struggled over his decision. She could see that the time for him to claim the crown was fast approaching and this was a major step on that road. It wasn't clear to her how she knew it, but her slayer sense told her that the stone was important.

Finally the man nodded and held out his hands to receive it. "Dangerous indeed, but not to all. There is one who may claim it by right. For this assuredly is the palantír of Orthanc from the treasury of Elendil, set here by the Kings of Gondor. Now my hour draws near. I will take it."

Gandalf looked at Aragorn, and then, to the surprise of the others, he lifted the covered stone, and bowed as he presented it. "Receive it, lord. In earnest of other things that shall be given back. But if I may counsel you in the use of your own, do not use it - yet! Be wary."

"When have I been hasty or unwary, who have waited and prepared for so many long years?" Aragorn asked as he took the stone.

"Never yet. But then do not stumble at the end of the road. But at least keep this thing secret." Gandalf cautioned him. He looked out into the night. "The neighborhood of Isengard is no place now to linger in. I will ride ahead at once with Pippin to Minas Tirith. It will be better for him then lying in the dark while others sleep."

"I will keep Éomer and ten Riders," said Théoden. "They shall ride with me at early day. The rest may go with Aragorn and ride as soon as they have a mind."

"As you will," said Gandalf. "But make all the speed you may to the cover of the hills to Helm's Deep."

Harry suddenly cried out. He clutched his hands to his head and dropped to the ground. Ginny's face was tight as she knelt next to him.

Buffy felt goosebumps going up her arms and she looked around trying to find the source of them. Many of the people in the camp were cowering in fear, although none as badly as Harry. Then just as quickly as it started, it was gone and Harry sagged against Ginny in relief.

"I think I speak for everyone here when I say - what the hell was that?" Buffy asked, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Nazgûl," Gandalf answered. "A messenger of Mordor. The Nazgûl have crossed the River. Ride! Wait not for the dawn! Ride now!" He went to Shadowfax and camp quickly began to break.

"Come Pippin, we must ride," Gandalf said, leading the large white horse over to the hobbit.

"I'm going with you, and so is Harry," Buffy said, gathering her things.

"We don't have time for this," Gandalf argued.

"What?" Everyone cried around her.

Buffy looked at Dawn. "I'm going to ride ahead with him, that way we can keep in touch. Maybe we'll be able to coordinate and attack against Sour Puss. Since Harry is my charge, he's coming with me. 'Sides, this place is a city; we should be able to protect him better there."

Gandalf studied her for a moment and nodded. "Quickly, we must leave now."

Harry turned to Ginny and pulled her into his arms. "I love you," he whispered. "Be safe."

"I love you, too," she said, then released him and watched him walk away. The heaviness that she felt in her heart caused by her actions during the battle just two nights prior hadn't left her. She was now tainted with dark magic. Perhaps she should have let him break things off earlier.

As the four figures rode into the night, Draco commented to Dawn, "You just had to mention how peaceful things were, didn't you?"

She just turned and stuck her tongue out at him.


	25. Hogsmeade

Hello everyone! The next chapter will be up on Sunday. :)

Review Responses:

harmoni, you get to find out how well Neville does in this chapter. :)

sapphyre2484, thanks for the anniversary. I can't believe it is taking me this long to write this fic, especially since it only took me eight months on the last one. I'm hoping I get this finished before the year ends.

John, the thing with the orb gets explained a little better in the next chapter. And there's a lot of Hogwarts action in this chapter.

Kyra2, snickers I know, Minas Tirith - the safest place in Middle Earth. snickers Of course, they don't know that just yet. And I'm afraid I'm not done torturing Ginny just yet.

Buffy Fan, thanks for the review! This chapter should also help to remind you that it's not just a LOTR fic.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hogsmeade

"Remember, we promised each other to not feel guilty about being out and relaxing," Hermione said as they got out of the carriage that took them to Hogsmeade.

Ron took a deep breath and nodded. "It _is_ kind of nice to be away from the castle," he admitted.

"And who knows, maybe spending a day away from everything will give us a new perspective."

"It might," he agreed with a smile, her enthusiasm contagious. "Where to first?"

"For once, I don't need any supplies, so wherever you want to go is fine," Hermione answered, pulling her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders to ward off the chilled air.

"My candy stash is low, so how about Honeydukes?" At her nod, they began making their way down the street.

The two followed the advice they had given themselves and pushed all thoughts of their absent friends and family out of their heads. They forced themselves to relax and before long they had natural instead of forced smiles on their faces. Other friends that they hadn't seen for a while struck up conversations and before they knew it, lunchtime arrived.

"Isn't that Professor Lupin with Faith over there?" Ron asked as they found a table at Three Broomsticks.

Hermione looked in the directed he indicated and smiled. "Yeah, aren't they cute together?"

"You don't mean they're...?"

"No, not yet," she said with a small smile. "But there's definitely something there. Look at how relaxed she is with him, she's not like that around anyone else."

"She's even smiling."

"Now stop staring, it's rude," she said turning back to face him.

"Yes, pumpkin."

Her eyes narrowed slightly before a giggle escaped her lips.

scenebreak

"Thanks for showing me around today," Faith said as she took a sip of her butterbeer.

"I still can't believe that you've never been to a wizard town before. Why didn't you visit Hogsmeade when you were here last year?" Remus asked.

"We weren't here long, plus there was this nasty apocalypse about to happen."

"Ah, yes. Good fun," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Should do that again sometime."

Faith laughed. "I think I'm a bad influence on you. Next thing you'll know, you'll be lookin' for trouble."

"Actually, I'm afraid that's James and Sirius' influence. They were always getting me into trouble when we were in school."

"James?"

"Harry's father," Remus said a bit wistfully. "You couldn't separate us."

"The Marauders," she said with a grin. At his surprised look, she said, "I've heard stories."

"From who?"

"Not telling."

Remus' brow furrowed. "It couldn't have been Harry. Was it Ron?"

"Nope."

"Giles?"

"Nope."

"It couldn't have been Snape."

"Nope again."

"Then who?" He asked, his curiosity fully flamed now.

A sly look appeared in her eyes. "I promised Padfoot I wouldn't tell."

"What?... How?" He sputtered.

"Apparently my name kept popping up in your letters, so he sent me one of his own."

"He was checking you out wasn't he? That over-protective, nosy..."

"Friend," she finished for him. She placed one of her hands on top of his. "It was kind of sweet. Her must really care about you."

Remus' indignant anger fled at her touch. "He's my best friend. Did you know that he, James, and Peter became animagi so I wouldn't feel alienated about my own transformations?"

"No, I didn't." She sat back and listened to the story.

scenebreak

"Do you know what Neville is up to?" Seamus asked as he and Dean sat at a table in Three Broomsticks.

"Just said he had some errands to run before meeting us for lunch," Dean said as a waitress approached their table.

The waitress took their order and left. Only to return a minute later with their butterbeers and departing again.

"Is it me, or has he been acting odd this week?" Seamus asked after a few minutes.

"Who?"

"Neville."

"Define odd."

"Well, skittish."

Dean looked at him in confusion. "You mean more skittish than usual?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe. I don't know. You see him more than I do," Dean said with a shrug.

"You'd see him more if you joined those extra sessions," Seamus pointed out.

"I've told you several times - I'm not a fighter. I'd rather participate in the coming fight by being a healer. I can't bring myself to hurt anyone."

The door to the pub opened and they turned to see who it was. The first person didn't surprise them for it was Neville to meet them there as planned. But the second person shocked them. Blaise Zabini entered on Neville's arm.

scenebreak

As the sound of thudding hooves of three horses faded into the night, the entire camp began to break to return to Helm's Deep. The remaining members of the fellowship and other worlders gathered in a small huddle.

"I believe the king will go to the muster that he commanded at Edoras, four nights from now. And there, I think he will hear tidings of war, and the Riders of Rohan will go down to Minas Tirith," Aragorn explained quickly. "But for myself, and any that will go with me..."

"I for one," cried Legolas.

"And me," said Gimli.

"We've gone this far with ya, mate. No sense in stopping now," Spike said.

"Well, for myself," said Aragorn, "it is dark before me. I must also go down to Minas Tirith, but I do not yet see the road."

"Let's not worry about it, yet," Spike said. "We have a little bit of time left." Then they began packing.

When everything was prepared, the entire company rode into the night. They rode for several hours without incident.

"My lord," said one man riding up to the king. "There are horsemen behind us. As we crossed the Fords of Isen I thought that I heard them. Now we are sure. They are overtaking us, riding hard."

Théoden called for a halt. The Riders turned and prepared their spears while Aragorn and the others pulled their swords.

They heard the sounds of hooves and a moment later they saw dark shapes coming up the path. Moonlight glinted off their spears and they stopped a short distance away.

"Who rides in Rohan?" Éomer called out.

One man dismounted and walked slowly forward, keeping his hands well away from him weapons. "Rohan did you say? That is a glad word. We seek that land in haste from long afar."

"You have found it," Éomer said. "Who are you? And what is your haste?"

"Halbarad Dúnadan, Ranger of the North I am," cried the man. "We seek one Aragorn of Arathorn."

"And you have found him!" Cried Aragorn gleefully. He sheathed his sword and handed his reins to Merry, who was riding behind him. He ran forward to embrace the newcomer. "Halbarad, of all joys this is the least expected."

Aragorn turned back to the king. "All is well. Here are some of my kin from the far land where I dwelt. But why they come, Halbarad shall tell us."

"We rode as swiftly as we might when your summons came," Halbarad said in confusion.

"But I did not summon you save only in wish," Aragorn said. "I sent no word. But come! All such matters must wait. You find us riding in haste and danger. Ride with us now, if the king will give his leave."

"It is well," Théoden said gladly. "If these kinsmen be in any way like to yourself, my lord Aragorn, thirty such knights will be a strength that cannot be counted by heads."

scenebreak

"There they are," Neville said, gesturing in Seamus and Dean's direction. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Blaise turned her hazel eyes to him. "You're the one who invited me. Are you backing out now?"

"No, no, no," he assured her. "It's just... well... Just making sure you're ok with it. Seamus is a little hard to take at times."

"Neville, I wouldn't have accepted if I didn't want to come. I'll be fine. I _am_ a Slytherin after all," she said with a smile.

Bolstered with a confidence he never knew he had, he led her over to the table where his two friends sat. He held out her chair for her and waited until she was seated before sitting himself.

"Hi fellas," he said a little nervously.

"Neville," Seamus said, eyeing Blaise. "Out on a date?"

"No," Neville said, his cheeks flushing slightly. "We're just friends."

"Really? Seemed like it was a little more than that," Seamus said. "Especially with her walking in on your arm."

"It's because he's a gentleman," Blaise said coolly. "He was properly taught how to treat a lady. Unlike others at this table who have not even extended me the courtesy of a hello."

"How dare you?" Seamus sputtered.

"She's right," Dean said, keeping his friend from jumping to his feet. "I'm sorry, Blaise. Those Irishmen and their tempers. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Dean. Thank you for asking," she said with a gently smile.

"Seamus, be polite. She's Neville's friend," Dean said, elbowing the boy next to him.

"Hi," Seamus grounded out.

"See that wasn't too hard," Dean said as he sympathetically patted his friend's shoulder.

A waitress walked over to their table at that point. "What can I get you two?"

Neville looked at Blaise and she nodded her head. He turned back to the waitress. "Two butterbeers please."

After the waitress left, Neville turned to see his friends smirking at him. "Sod off," he said, the flush coming back to his cheeks.

scenebreak

"What are you smiling at now?" Remus asked.

Faith indicated a table behind him. "Just glad to see my plan is working."

Remus turned to see a table full of laughing students. Normally that was a common occurrence. What was remarkable was that there was at least one student from each house present in the group.

"You realize you're breaking centuries of unspoken traditions by this," he said with a smile of his own.

"Good, rules were made to be broken," she said. "Houses don't exist in the real world." Her gaze grew distant. "They'll find that some of their best friends will come from the strangest places."

"Like wizards?"

"Vampires, nerds, prom queens, and even werewolves. Just wanted to make sure they take advantage of their opportunities, unlike me," she said softly.

"Ah, but you're taking advantage of them now," he pointed out.

She dropped her gaze back down to the leftover food on her plate. "I guess so."

"Hey," he said. He reached across the table and gently lifted her chin with his outstretched hand. "You have those kids looking up to you and respecting your opinion. They're becoming a cohesive group _and _you're taking pride in it. You're happy because they're happy."

Faith smiled. "They are a pretty good group of kids."

Remus let go of her chin and set his hand back on the table in front of him. "You value the opinion of Willow and Giles. You've become close to Wesley. You are rectifying the mistakes of your past.

"You told me yourself that you used to not care what others thought and just plowed your way through life. I see you taking in all sides before acting."

"Stop, you're gonna make me blush," she said.

"I'm serious, Faith. You should be proud of yourself in your growth and your effect on others." He paused before saying. "Including me."

She looked at him in surprise. "You?"

A half smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, me. Everyday I become more amazed at your ability to rise above your past. You inspire me to do better."

Faith's jaw dropped and she could only stare. She didn't feel worthy of such praise from a decent, good man. To feel and hear these things from the students was overwhelming on their own. But coming from a man she respected and was even a little attracted to, was too much. Her body and brain went into sensory overload until she was only able to gape at him.

"And now I've gone and embarrassed myself," Remus said with a little laugh. He began fiddling with the napkin in his lap. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No," she said. "I mean... thank you. I had no idea."

"You have a right to know," he said softly.


	26. Divided

Hello all! The next chapter will be up next Sunday.

**Review Responses:**

Panther28, that's me, queen of the unusual pairings. So far, I think I'm the only one to do an Anya/Snape pairing too. I like mixing things up and surprising my readers.

John, thanks for the anniversary wishing. When you combine the time spent on this one and its prequel it's actually been almost two years. Whew, actually kind of scary when I put it that way.

Harmoni, that's our Faith, changing the way things are done. You've got to respect her for that. And you've finally figured out her pairing. I hope everyone is happy with my choice, even if it is a little strange.

narmolanya, thanks also for the review for the prequel. I got that reaction a lot about Anya and Snape. It was just what I was going for. :) As for Remus and Faith, what can I say, I'm crazy about off the wall pairings. Oh, and I usually update every Sunday, there's no way I can update faster than that.

**A/N: **Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like _**this.**_ When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Divided

Spike and Aragorn rode in the rear with the Rangers. Aragorn was surprised to see that Elrohir and Elladan, Elrond's sons, were also present. Since he had been raised in Rivendell by Elrond, he saw the two elves as brothers. He greeted them warmly, but quickly sobered at their message.

"I bring word to you from my father," Elrohir told him. "_The days are short. If thou art in haste, remember the Paths of the Dead_."

"Always my days have seemed to me too short to achieve my desire," Aragorn mused. "But great indeed will be my haste ere I take that road."

"It doesn't exactly sound inviting," Spike added.

"No, my friend, it is not."

"Let us speak no more of these things upon the open road," Elrohir cautioned.

Aragorn noticed that Halbarad carried a staff that was wrapped in a black cloth instead of a spear. "What is that that you bear?"

"It is a gift that I bring you from the Lady of Rivendell," Halbarad answered. "She wrought it in secret, and long was the making. But she also sends word to you. _The days now are short. Either our hope cometh, or all hopes end. Therefore I send thee what I have made for thee. Fare well, Elfstone_."

"Now I know what you bear. Bear it still for me a while," Aragorn softly. Then he seemed to draw into himself and the others let him alone.

Spike moved next to Elladan. "What's his problem?"

The grey-eyed elf coolly regarded him. "It is an internal affair."

"I could care less about what it is," Spike said. "Is it going to affect him in a fight?"

"It should not," Elladan answered.

"Should not or will not? I don't want to be countin' on him to help protect my friends if there's something that could screw him up and put us all in danger," Spike said hotly.

"It will not affect him," the elf assured him, seeing something in Spike's eyes. "It is a family matter that we don't discuss."

"I can respect that," Spike said with a nod.

scenebreak

"Do you know what that muster Aragorn was talking about is?" Dawn asked as she rode next to Ginny.

"Not sure," Draco answered from the other side of Ginny. "We weren't there for all the planning so we could have missed it."

"I guess. What do you think, Ginny?"

The redhead just shrugged and continued staring listlessly ahead. She had been unusually quiet since the battle at Helm's Deep, but she hadn't said a word since Harry had left.

**See. I told you something was wrong.** Dawn said worriedly.

**It was a terrible battle, maybe she just needs some time to adjust.** Draco suggested.

Dawn mentally shook her head. It was no worse than the one at Hogwarts last year. I think it's something else.

**What do you want to do about it?**

**Nothing now. We'll have to wait until we can get her alone.**

"I'm worried about Pippin," Merry said quietly from behind Draco.

"He'll be fine," Dawn assured him. "He's with Buffy and Gandalf. They'll take care of him."

"But Sauron thinks he's Frodo and has the Ring," Merry said.

"Hey, Buffy killed a hellgod. She can handle anything Sauron will throw at her," Dawn said.

**Didn't she die in that fight, too?** Draco asked.

**Yes, but not because of Glory** She looked at the small hobbit. "He's going to be fine."

Merry silently nodded his head, but his eyes were still filled with concern.

scenebreak

"Mr. Frodo," Sam said as they watched the sun sink over the trees. "I don't think anyone is coming for us."

Frodo couldn't help but silently agree with his friend. They had been there in the same spot for three weeks and no sign of help had shown itself. He only hoped that nothing had happened to their friends that would prevent them from searching for he and Sam. It caused his worry to shift from he and Sam's plight to that of his friends'.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked worriedly when his friend had failed to respond to his earlier statement.

"Yes, Sam. I think you're right," Frodo said softly as he watched the shadows stretch out on the ground.

"What are we going to do now?"

"I'm not sure," Frodo admitted. "Let's stay here one more week and see what happens."

"One more week? Are you sure it's safe?"

"No, Sam, I'm not. But we don't have much of a choice now do we?" He turned to look at his best friend. "We knew that there were risks when we accepted this responsibility. We just might have to find an alternate way back to Middle Earth."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet."

After a moment, Sam asked, "What do we do when our one week is up?"

"Well... We'll leave and see if we can find anybody. Find out where we are. Then decide what to do."  
"You know, after everything we've been through - Moria, Ringwraiths, orcs, all the flights in the dark, I've never been more scared than I am now."

"Me neither, Sam."

scenebreak

Remus walked into the Scooby common room late Sunday night and was surprised to see Xander staring into the fire. The werewolf quietly crossed the room and set the book he had borrowed onto one of the tables, then walked over to the couch.

"You're up late," Remus said as he sat down.

"Eh, just pulling a deadboy," Xander said. At the other man's confused look he explained, "Pulling an Angel. He was always the brooding one."

"What are you brooding about?"

"Same thing as everyone else," Xander answered with a sigh. "They've been gone for three weeks. We should have found something by now. If this keeps up, they're gonna be in Middle Earth forever."

"Willow, Tara, and Ron haven't found anything new, yet?"

"Nope. They've expanded their search to include Europe, but apparently our dimension is a haven for demons that are hiding from their own dimension." Xander wearily rubbed his eyes. "Wills said that at that speed it's going to take months to find Frodo and Sam. By then, it could be too late to save Buffy and the others in Middle Earth."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. You guys seem to be the resourceful type. I'm sure you'll find them before anything happens," Remus assured the younger man.

The two stared into the fire for a while until Xander said, "You and Faith seem to be getting along."

"Yes, she's a remarkable woman," Remus said.

Xander eyed the man carefully. "She tell you everything about her past?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, and she's told me that she's trying to redeem herself. Something I see in every action she takes."

"Good," Xander said, turning his gaze back to the fire. "She needs someone to look out for her, and support her."

"You could be someone to support her."

Xander shook his head. "Nah, too much history. I know she's changed 'cause I can see it, but sometimes it's hard to forgive someone who tried to kill you."

"And yet you were able to forgive Willow, Buffy, and even Anya for trying to kill you, but not Faith," Remus astutely pointed out.

"Yes, I know," Xander said, not really surprised that the man knew about all the incidents. "Well, it was always different where Faith was concerned. I'm trying to be better than that, but it's hard. Until I can straighten myself out, I can't be there for her."  
Remus nodded and smiled. "Sounds like a very grown up thing to say."

"I know, it kind of sucks - this growing up business. Sometimes I think my life would have been better living in ignorant bliss."

"Where would you be if you had done that?"

"Probably in a dead end job back in Sunnydale, and probably an alcoholic on top of that. That is, if I hadn't died first."

"See, ignorance isn't always bliss," Remus said as he patted the younger man gently on the knee. He stood and headed for the door.

"Take care of her," Xander said when Remus reached the door.

"I plan to," the werewolf answered before quietly slipping out the door.

scenebreak

Buffy smiled faintly at Harry and Pippin's sleeping forms curled up on the ground. They had stopped shortly after daybreak to rest the horses. Gandalf was staring off into the distance, smoking his pipe. She could hear him whispering,

"_Tall ships and tall kings _

Three times three,

What brought they from the foundered land

Over the flowing sea?

Seven stars and seven stones

And one white tree."

"What's that all about?" Buffy asked, moving to sit next to him.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? I know you could not have received enough last night."

"Benefit of being a slayer. I can go forever on just a few hours of sleep. So what about stars, stones, and a tree?"

"The stones are called the palantíri of the Kings of Old, which means _that which looks far away_. The stone we retrieved from Orthanc is one of them. The Noldor made them and brought them here from over the sea. They were distributed throughout the land to enable communication and sight over great distances. I believe it to be part of Saruman's downfall."

"How could this plant stone mess up Sour Man?" Buffy asked.

"Sauron must have obtained one and mastered it to his purposes. I guess that it was the Ithil-stone, for he took Minas Ithil long ago and turned it into an evil place - Minas Morgul," Gandalf began. He paused to take a puff on his pipe. "Saruman probably used it to see into the surrounding territory, but it eventually wasn't enough. He searched farther and farther until he was ensnared by Sauron."

"And turned a good guy into a bad guy. What happened to the other five stones?"

"I do not know. They could be buried or drowned deep."

Buffy frowned and reached her hands back to begin braiding her long hair. "That's not good. Who knows who could be out there watching and telling ol' Sour Puss what's going on."

"What about the white tree?" She asked when she finished braiding.

"It was a sapling that was planted in Minas Tirith by Isildur. It died and was replaced. That one is currently dead, but since no sapling could be located the Withered Tree was left standing."  
"That's kind of morbid don't ya think?"  
"They see it as a symbol of hope. As long as a tree stands, the people of Gondor will persevere."

"Ok, so not so morbid."

They stared out over the rolling plains for some time lost in their own thoughts. Buffy's eyes suddenly widened when something occurred to her. "You said these stones were used by the old kings, right?"

"Yes."

"Then there would be one in Minas Tirith right? I mean that's where the King of Gondor lived isn't it?'

"Oh my. Let's wake the other two and press on," he said quickly standing.

scenebreak

After they arrived back at Helm's Deep, they were given time to sleep before an afternoon meal. But before she could sleep, Dawn slipped off to check on Haldir.

"You're moving awfully good for someone who nearly died a few nights before," she said cheerfully when she found her friend.

"Elven healing," he said with a smile. "I believe we heal at least as fast as your sister."

"Cool. So what's with the packing?"

"Galadriel sent a message. We will soon be needed in Lothloríen. I am afraid we need to leave as soon as possible."

"We're leaving this afternoon, too." She said with a little pout. "I wish we could have visited longer."

"Me too, Amaureä." Then he surprised her by hugging her tightly.

Her eyes were filled with tears when they pulled apart. "Take care of yourself, mister. I want to see you in one piece when this war is over." Then she turned and quickly left.

scenebreak

Dawn and Draco awakened to find they didn't feel rested at all. They roused Ginny just in time to eat so they were unable to question her.

Ginny, for the most part, was quiet and only spoke when spoken to. She seemed to be mostly unaware of her surroundings. Dawn was hard pressed to get her to pay attention when Merry pledged his services to Théoden.

Her eyes were haunted and her face pale and drawn. Dawn and Draco kept exchanging worried glances while they made sure the redhead was getting enough to eat.

"It is near the hour that we set for our going, lord," Éomer said, breaking the peace of the meal. "Shall I bid the men sound the horns? But where is Aragorn?" He asked, noticing that the Ranger was not present.

"We will make ready to ride," said Théoden. "But let word be sent to Lord Aragorn that the hour is nigh."

Everyone began moving and the other worlders went to gather their packs and horses. They gathered just outside the Deepening Wall and waited for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

Éomer walked through the gate a short time later followed by Aragorn and Halbarad who carried a great staff shrouded in black. The twins, Elrohir and Elladan, were right behind them along with Legolas and Gimli.

Aragorn approached Théoden his face was grim and weary. He looked like he had been up for days. "Strange words have reached me and I see new perils far off. Tell me, how long will it take you to reach Dunharrow?"

"Three days to reach the Hold and the muster will be the day after. We cannot go faster, if the strength of Rohan is to be gathered," Éomer answered.

The Ranger's face was less troubled as he seemed to reach a decision. "Then I must part ways with you here. I can no longer ride in secrecy. I will take the swiftest route east - the Paths of the Dead."

Théoden and Éomer's protests seemed to fade into the background as Dawn was suddenly faced with an awesome decision. The group was dividing again and logic dictated that someone who could communicate over distances should go with Aragorn. The only options left were her and Draco.

Dawn looked over at Spike and Draco. She knew this thought hadn't even entered their heads. Something in her gut told her that she was the one to go. Before she knew it, she heard herself saying, "I'll also ride with Aragorn."

Stunned silence descended on the group as they turned to look at her.

Spike was the first to recover. "No, 'Bit. Your sis' would kill me."

"Either Draco or I have to go. Only the two of us can communicate with Buffy. It makes sense," Dawn argued.

"Then let me go," Draco said. "They're not going to be traveling in secret. We don't want Sauron to know you're here yet."

"It's too late."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I accidentally used magic in the battle to save Haldir, " she said.

"And you were going to mention this when?" Draco sputtered.

"I had a lot of things on my mind at the time!"

"Hey! Kids! That's enough!" Spike said, interrupting their bickering. He turned to Dawn. "Give me one good reason why you should be the one goin'?"

Dawn sighed, knowing her reason wasn't the best. "Because my instincts are telling me to go. It's the only way our divided group can keep in touch."

"That's it!" Draco cried.

"What?" Spike asked.

"We've been told to do this from the very beginning! It's why Galadriel's message sounded familiar," he said in excitement.

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked.

"Only when you are divided will the fighting front be solid," Dawn said softly.

"The Sorting Hat said almost the same thing. Something like the few who are solid will be stronger divided. It's the same thing. Our bond will strengthen the fight," Draco explained.

"Still doesn't say why she should be the one goin'," Spike reminded him.

"My instincts," she said.

"Mine too," Draco added. "I don't like it, but that's what I feel."

"Fine," Spike said grudgingly.

Dawn looked at Aragorn. "Any complaints?"

"Who am I to dispute Galadriel's wisdom? We would be glad to have you accompany us," Aragorn said.

Elladan looked at his foster brother in confusion. **_Estel, it's not wise to bring her with us. She could slow us down._**

Aragorn found it hard to keep the smile off his face when Dawn's eyes narrowed. He decided the wisest course was to let her respond.

_**She understands everything you just said.**_ Dawn said, a little miffed. _**It seems to me that the only elves who do not assume that humans can't speak Elvish are those of Lothloríen. Perhaps the humans are mistaken that elves are the wiser race.**_

Elrohir laughed. _**She got you there brother. We have not been properly introduced. I am Elrohir and this is my brother Elladan.**_

_**She smiled sweetly at him. I am Amaureä Oiolairë.**_

The twins' eyes widened and they bowed before her.

"Gee, a girl could get used to this," she said.

Théoden, a little confused by the twin's sudden treatment of the young woman, could plainly see that their minds could not be swayed. "This parting grieves me, and my strength is lessened by it; but now I must take the mountain-roads and delay no longer. Farewell!" Then he mounted his horse and began leading his people out of the vale.

Spike hugged Dawn tightly. "Make sure you follow Aragorn's lead."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too, 'Bit."

When he released her, Dawn hugged Ginny next. The redhead hadn't said a word and it increased Dawn's concern. "Be careful, Gin."

"You too," she whispered.

Dawn turned to Draco and her heart got caught in her throat. She was unable to speak, only able to pull him in close.

Draco held on to her as if he would never let her go. This would be the first time they would be separated for any length of time since she thought he had betrayed her the year before.

"Please take care of yourself," he hoarsely whispered. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose you."

"I could never leave you. You're my heart remember?"

"And you're mine. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, tears rolling down her face.

He gently kissed her and then let her go.

Take care of Ginny. She said as she took a few steps back.

I will. He promised. He quickly mounted his horse and gave her a final wave goodbye. Then he urged his horse to join the others.

Dawn stood and watched the man she loved ride away. She had no sure way of knowing if she'd ever see him again. She jumped slightly when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.

"You will see him again," Aragorn assured her softly. "He is strong warrior. He will be there to greet you in Minas Tirith."

She could only numbly nod her head and allow him to lead her inside.


	27. Life After Helm's Deep

Hello all! The next chapter will be up next Sunday. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Review Responses:

John, let me know what exactly is confusing you and I'll see if it's just something I'm not explaining well or if it's something that I'm purposely keeping you in the dark about. And there is something ominous approaching. There's at least four more battles before this fic is through. And they are all going to be biggies.

narmolanya, I stop torturing her somewhat in this chapter. But she's not completely better yet.

harmoni, Sam and Frodo's location gets discovered in a few more chapters, I think, if I'm remembering the plan correctly. And I'm glad you like Remus and Faith. You know me, I love crazy and wacky pairings. :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are great!

**A/N:** Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like** _this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like** this.**

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like When telepathy is being used, it will look like 

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Life After Helm's Deep

Dawn sat between the elf twins while Aragorn ate a quick lunch. Legolas and Gimli, along with the other Rangers, also sat at the long table awaiting Aragorn's news.

"What changed your mind about riding with King Théoden?" Dawn asked, trying to keep her thoughts away from Draco.

"I have looked into the Stone of Orthanc," Aragorn said.

"You have looked in that accursed stone?" Gimli cried.

"Are you stupid?" Dawn asked.

"I am the lawful master of the Stone, and I had both the right and the strength to use it, or so I judged."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Dawn said with a shake of her head. "That thing is a direct connection to Sauron. Even Gandalf seemed afraid of it. You saw what it did to Pippin."

"But I am not Pippin am I?" Aragorn snapped. A weary look crossed his face and he drew a deep breath. "My apologies. It was a bitter struggle and the weariness is slow to pass."

"Were you able to bend the stone to your will?" Legolas asked.

"Barely," Aragorn said as he reached for a roll. "But I sensed that he was not at full strength. Something saps him from the inside."

Dawn's brow furrowed as she processed the information. For some reason it seemed important, but she didn't know why. She mentally filed it away and hoped she could figure it out before it was too late.

"I saw many things," Aragorn said, pulling her attention back to the conversation. "A grave peril I saw coming unlooked for upon Gondor from the South that will draw off great strength from the defense of Minas Tirith. If it is not countered swiftly, I deem the city will be lost ere ten days be gone."

"Then lost it must be," said Gimli. "For what help is there to send thither, and how could it come there in time?"

"If you haven't forgotten, my sister and Harry are riding there as we speak. Not to mention Gandalf and Pippin. Are you planning on abandoning them now?" Dawn asked, tears coming to her eyes for what seemed like the twentieth time that day.

"I'm sorry, lass. I shouldn't have said that," Gimli apologized.

"We have help to send though," Aragorn said, trying to ease her pain. "We will go. But there is only one way through the mountains that will bring us to the coastline before all is lost. That is the Paths of the Dead."

"Ok, I'm really not liking the sound of that," Dawn said. "What exactly are those paths?"

"The King of the Mountains swore an allegiance to Isildur, but refused to fulfill it. They served Sauron during the Dark Years," Aragorn explained. "Isildur placed a curse on them, never allowing them rest until they fulfilled their oaths. They hid among the hills and slowly dwindled away."

"And you think these..." Dawn paused as she struggled for the correct term.

"Sleepless Dead," he supplied.

"These Sleepless Dead are going to help?" She asked.

Aragorn nodded his head. "If they wish to rest, they will. And only I, as Isildur's heir, can release them of their oaths."

"Then let's do this," she said.

scenebreak

Hermione set her quill down as she stared down at the transfiguration homework in front of her. While Saturday's trip to Hogsmeade had been fun and she had felt refreshed when they sat down to work on Sunday, it still failed to yield answers to their problem. Even Xander, the seemingly perpetual optimist, was looking rather worried.

At least Dawn had assured them a week ago that everything was fine, but still the young Gryffindor woman couldn't help but worry. That was one of her best friends out there, possibly in the middle of a war. Of course, it wasn't like they weren't in the middle of a war here. But at least here she'd be able to see for herself that Harry was fine.

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she looked over to see Ron intensely concentrating on the book in front of him. Just that one glance told her everything she needed to know. He was working on finding Frodo and Sam. Ron had never been a big student, but ever since his sister's life had been placed in danger he would read any Wicca book that Willow and Tara would hand him. He was hoping he could find the answers to her quick return inside them.

It just helped to prove that he wasn't as dumb as he thought he was. Her faint smile got bigger as she thought, he was, after all, dating her. But it quickly disappeared as she thought how little Ron thought of himself.

Honestly, anyone who could play wizard's chess as well as he did couldn't be a dummy. Wizard's chess wasn't exactly an easy game and so far she had never seen him lose a game. Draco had come close to beating him a few times, but had never succeeded. And yet, Ron never saw that as an indication of his intelligence. He thought his poor, dismal grades spoke for his abilities. But she knew that that couldn't be the case. Ron knew the material, he just never seemed to apply himself. That is, until now.

She rubbed her eyes and wished she had Ginny and Dawn here to talk to about this stuff. Of course, if they were there she wouldn't be having these thoughts. But without the girls around, she realized she had no one to talk to about girl things. Well, there were other females around, just no one who knew her like those two.

At least they were together in Middle Earth to look after each other and have someone to talk to. That is, if they were both still alive. No, she firmly reminded herself. Buffy and Spike were there to take care of them. There was no way they'd be dead. And Draco would rather die himself then let the woman he loved die.

Hermione sighed, she really needed to stop doing this to herself. Worrying was not helping them. Forcing her mind away from her dark thoughts, she picked her quill up and went back to her homework.

scenebreak

Draco sat next to Ginny. A small cooking fire shone brightly before them. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was too close to overhear their conversation.

If she even talked to him. She hadn't said a word since they had left Helm's Deep that afternoon. The stars were now shining overhead and she still seemed to be in no hurry to speak.

"Nice night," he commented to which she only shrugged and continued to push food around on her plate. "I miss Dawn, though. You thinking about Harry?" She nodded slightly. "I'm sure he's fine." She nodded again.

He frowned as his grey eyes studied her. Dawn had been right, this was more than Ginny missing Harry. He had never seen her so noncommittal on the man she loved before. Something had definitely happened to make her clam up like this.

Trusting that Dawn was right about the time when whatever _it_ was happened, he said, "That was some battle, huh?'

She stiffened and then barely nodded her head.

Draco took a bite of his bread as he tried to figure out where to go from there. Now that he knew when _it _had happened, he only needed to find out what _it _was. He really wished Dawn was there. She'd be able to get it out of the redhead.

"I've never seen an army so big. Even Voldemort's demon army wasn't that big," he said after a moment.

Ginny relaxed some, but her shoulders remained tense. She nodded her head in agreement.

"The elves were amazing. They seemed to move as fast as Buffy sometimes," he said.

Her shoulders relaxed some more as she nodded.

"The Rhohirrim were pretty wicked, too. It's amazing how people can pull together to defend their home."

She tensed for the briefest moment before relaxing. Again, she only mutely nodded.

"Oh, and did Dawn tell you that she had to use her magic to save Haldir?" Draco blinked in surprise at her response.

Ginny seemed to fold in on herself the moment the word magic left his mouth. She seemed to be trying to block out the world as she hunched over her plate.

Draco wasn't exactly a genius when it came to reading people, but even he could see a connection. Obviously something happened during the battle that had to do with magic. Since she had been separated from the others for most of the fighting it had to be her magic.

With what little he had deduced so far, he couldn't figure out what it was though. He didn't want to push her too much in fear she'd shut down completely. But if she didn't open up about this soon, she'd tear herself apart from the inside and then shut down.

More than ever he wished Dawn was with them. Her instincts with these things were so much better than his own. He briefly entertained the thought of contacting her, but then dismissed it. He only wanted to contact her in case of emergency or change of plans. It meant he was on his own.

He set his plate on the ground and scooted closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and decided to move ahead the only way he knew how. "What happened?"

"I don't know what you mean," was her soft reply.

"Something happened to you during that battle. What was it?"

"Nothing happened to me."

"Did you see something?" He asked.

"No."

"Then what?" He asked softly, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'll understand, you can tell me."

She shook her head. "No. Nothing."

"Come on, Gin. This is me, you're talking to. Your bestest Slytherin friend. I think I can take it."

"I... I killed an orc," she said after a moment.

He looked at her in confusion. "We all killed orcs."

"No! Not like this." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I used magic to kill one."

"How?" She mumbled something that he didn't understand. "What?"

"I used the killing curse," she said in horror as she began to cry.

Of all the things he had bee prepared to hear her say, that was not one of them. He finally understood her silence and he briefly closed his eyes as he shared her pain.

Draco wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close. "Gin, why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I was too ashamed. I didn't want everyone to hate me," was her choked reply.

"We could never hate you."

"But I used an Unforgivable!"

"What exactly happened?" He asked gently.

"A boy our age was frozen during the retreat and an orc was going to get him. I knew I wasn't going to be able to reach him in time so I pulled out my wand and used it." She turned her tear-streaked face up to look at him. "I was just so angry, Draco. Angry at how they killed women and children and destroyed the land. The curse left my mouth before I knew it."

He looked into her brown eyes. "And that was it?" At her startled expression he elaborated. "Spike killed people for over a hundred years, Anya for over a thousand, Willow flayed a man alive, tried to kill the scoobies, and then tried to end the world. And you're worried about one little curse?"

She could only gape at him. He was pleased to note that she had stopped crying.

"Ginny, I can understand what you're feeling. I've used the curses myself." He smiled at her gasp. "Remember, I'm a Malfoy. My father had me practicing at a young age. I've killed a lot of rabbits and sheep."

"But I feel so dirty."

Draco nodded. "It'll pass. Just don't let it control you."

She sniffed. "I'll try."

"Ready to get some sleep?" He asked.

"Yeah." They separated and pulled their blankets out of their packs. Then they stretched out on the ground.

After a few minutes, Ginny said, "Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"Can... can you hold me tonight?" She asked softly.

He shifted over and she quickly moved into his arms. "You promise to tell me if anything else happens."

"Promise," she said. "Thank you."

"You're my best friend after Dawn. I'd do anything for you."

"Such a nice boy," she sleepily said.

"Am not," was his indignant response.

scenebreak

The Rangers and what was left of the Fellowship rode well into the night. They covered the plains swiftly and Dawn was forced to keep her entire attention focused on staying in the saddle.

When Aragorn finally signaled a halt and let them know they were stopping for a few hours, she wearily slid out of the saddle. None of their previous riding had prepared her for that long and hard of a ride.

****

Get some rest while you may, Amaureä. Elrohir said as he took in her appearance. **_There are plenty here to stand guard._**

Elrohir said as he took in her appearance. 

She could barely nod her head in agreement as she let him lead her horse away. She moved to the center of the encampment and plopped onto the ground. Using one of her arms as a pillow, she curled up on her side to sleep. Her brain, on the other hand, had other ideas.

Dawn sighed softly as her now wide-awake eyes peered into the darkness. Worries that she had shoved to the back of her mind, came roaring to the forefront.

Sauron probably sensed her accidental use of her magic in the battle. She frowned for a moment. Sauron had to know she was in Middle Earth before then. The portal she opened to get there surely caused enough 'noise' to be heard. Not to mention the communication back home. Then why would Galadriel caution against its use if the enemy was already alerted to her presence?

Rolling onto her back, she thought it over. After the portal that had brought them there, she had used her powers twice - once in Edoras to talk to Willow, and then in Helm's Deep to save Haldir. She had kept the usage time short so he probably never got a solid lock on her location. Just that she was somewhere in Rohan.

That's when it hit her. Continued use of her magic would allow Sauron to pinpoint her location and then send those nasty orcs to capture her. Man, she must really be tired if it took her that long to figure out such a simple answer, she thought.

She closed her eyes and hoped that sleep would come now that she had solved the problem weighing on her mind. After a few minutes she rolled over to her left side. Few minutes after that she rolled onto her right. Then onto her back a few minutes later.

Her mind was clear, but her body was restless. With another sigh she realized the source of the new problem. Every time she had slept over the past week and a half it had been in Draco's arms. He helped her feel sheltered and safe in unfamiliar territory so she could sleep. Now she was force to recreate the feeling without him.

****

Sleep, Amaureä. I will watch over you. Elrohir said softly, sitting next to her. **_You are safe here._**

Elrohir said softly, sitting next to her. 

Dawn smiled faintly up at him before drifting to sleep. Her last thought was wishing that Draco was next to her.


	28. Paths of the Dead

Hey all. I wish I could say that the next chapter will be up next Sunday, but it won't. The only reason why this and the last chapter made it out on time is because I had written them far in advance. Real life has reared its ugly head and I haven't written anything in weeks. Plus, I'm way behind on Christmas. Look for the next chapter on the 26th. Sort of like a late Christmas present for ya. :)

Review Responses:

harmoni, glad you liked Ginny and Draco's little talk. I'm not through with torturing her yet, but it will be easier for her for a short while. My Thanksgiving was ok. I had that day off but I've worked pretty much nonstop since then. I'm exhausted.

John, I see where your confusion is. The Paths of the Dead are just beyond Edoras at a place called Dunharrow, which is where Théoden is going, but he's taking a much slower path than what Aragorn is. (Why Théoden is going slower is explained in the next chapter) Aragorn's group is not splitting up to reach the others faster, they are going to stop another force that is going to march onto Minas Tirith. He saw the enemy's plan of attack in the palantír which is why he changed their path. I hope that cleared things up. If not, feel free to ask more.

Jewel34, thank you so much! I'm glad to cheer up your Mondays somewhat. :)

LOTR Notes:

ada - Elvish for father

Anduríl - the name of Aragorn's sword

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

A/N: Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like** _this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like** this.**

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like When telepathy is being used, it will look like

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Paths of the Dead

Dawn pulled her horse up next to Elrohir. **_How did you know what to say last night so I could sleep? _**

It was Estel's idea.

What does hope have to do with it?

The dark haired elf laughed. **_Aragorn is Estel. Father named him so. Gilraen, Aragorn's mother, brought him to Rivendell when he was but a babe to hide him from the Shadow. He carried that name for many years and continues to as far as Elladan and I are concerned. _**

Oh, guess that explains it. Her brow furrowed in confusion. **_How did he know what was wrong? _**

He remembered that you were unable to sleep your first night here until you slipped into your mate's sheltering embrace. Estel believed your restlessness was due to your lack of insurance that you were safe.

And he told you to take care of it. She said a little sourly.

****

Nay. Elrohir said with a shake of his head. **_He moved to do so himself, but I volunteered and insisted that he get some rest himself._**

Elrohir said with a shake of his head. 

She smiled. **_He does tend to run himself to the point of exhaustion at times. _**

He has ever been so. Elrohir grinned. **_He was also quite the troublemaker as a child._**

"Only because you and Elladan placed me in the middle of your schemes," Aragorn said riding up between them. "Don't listen to him, Dawn. He will tell the most outlandish tales."

"And all of them true," Elrohir added quickly. "First, you must hear how he ended up in the small brook that ran through the garden."

"I was seven," Aragorn protested.

"That he was," Elladan said with a laugh as he joined them. "He had been busy climbing trees that morning..."

"Estel was pretending to be an elf," Elrohir said. Then he added in a conspiratory tone, "Twas his favorite game."

"I really wish you wouldn't," Aragorn began.

"But you were so adorable," Elrohir said.

"And the look on ada's face when you dripped mud and water over his favorite rug was priceless," Elrohir laughed.

Aragorn's chin rose in slight defiance. "I wouldn't have fallen out of the tree and into the brook if the two of you hadn't startled me."

"It was a bird," Elladan said.

"Was not."

"A sparrow as I recall," Elrohir said.

Dawn was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face as she pictured a young Aragorn being scared by a bird. The man seemed so grim and calm that she had never imagined his childhood contained anything of this sort.

"I think we should pick up the pace," Aragorn said gruffly and he moved forward to tell the others.

"It was a bird," Elladan said.

"Of course, we sent it up there for that exact purpose," Elrohir added without a trace of mirth on his face except in his eyes. It only caused Dawn to laugh harder.

scenebreak

Giles removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Never in his whole career as a watcher had he ever felt as helpless as he did at that moment. Even when they had learned that Buffy was to die at the hands of the Master, did he feel this way. This time his slayer wasn't even in the same dimension as he, but he still felt as though he was failing her.

They had exhausted nearly every avenue of possible solutions with no success. Things were not looking good at all. Every demon contact they had, every human, wizard, and mage contact, none of them knew anything about two lost hobbits. He thought that by now the ring's pull would have attracted the attention of at least a dozen demons, but there was no indication of that happening.

Things were looking decidedly bleak and two girls that he thought of as his own children were stuck in another dimension until he figured out how to find the hobbits.

There had to be something he was missing. Some tiny shred of information that had been placed in his lap that he hadn't recognized its significance yet. Or even several pieces that when put together painted a whole picture. But there was nothing that he could think of.

It was beginning to look as though he had failed his slayer. Something he had feared from the moment he had read the prophecy of the Master.

scenebreak

Dawn barely suppressed a shudder as they stared at the entrance into the mountain where the Sleepless Dead resided. Human skulls were imbedded in the rock on either side of the opening. Strange markings were cut into the rock above it. She thought it might be writing, but it was unlike any she had seen before.

"The way is shut," Legolas read aloud. "It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

"Inviting," she murmured as a blast of chilly air came from the cave. She glanced over to the twins. Even their normally cheerful demeanor had turned somber.

"This is an evil door," Halbarad said softly, "and my death lies beyond it. I will dare to pass it nonetheless."

Everyone dismounted and led their horses through the opening. Arod and Léofa, Dawn and Legolas' horses, refused until Legolas wrapped a cloth around their eyes. The temporarily blinded horses reluctantly entered the dark cave.

Gimli stood last and viewed the path with trepidation. To himself, he said, "Well this is a thing unheard of. An Elf will go underground where a Dwarf dare not!" He shook his head and began moving forward. "Oh, I'd never hear the end of it."

The cave was so dark it seemed to press down upon the company. Aragorn, who was in the lead, carried a torch while Elladan carried one in the rear. But they barely held back the oppressive darkness.

"The very warmth of my blood seems drawn away," Gimli whispered as he stumbled forward.

"Is there a problem, Amaureä?" Elrohir asked as Dawn kept looking anxiously around.

"Can't you hear the voices?" She asked.

He concentrated for a few moments. "Nay, what are they saying?"

"I don't know," she said in frustration. "But they aren't happy about something. Probably us being here."

"Let's hope they don't do anything about it," Gimli grumbled.

They continued to walk through the seemingly endless dark. Hours passed before they reached a huge hall where the floor fell away on one side to reveal a deep chasm.

"Aragorn, stop!" Dawn called out.

"What is it?" He asked as everyone came to a halt.

"They're here."

"Who?" Gimli asked.

"The dead," she whispered as she pointed to a sickly green apparition just beyond Aragorn.

The ghost looked as if its skin was rotting off its non-existent bones and its clothes were in tatters. Dawn assumed it was the king since it wore a dented crown.

"Who enters my domain?" The king asked in a hollow voice.

"One who would have your allegiance," Aragorn said, moving to stand before it.

"The Dead do not suffer the living to pass."

"You will suffer me," Aragorn insisted.

The king laughed and it reverberated through the chamber, chilling the company to their bones. From behind them there was a rush of noise and they all turned to see a ghostly city forming across the chasm before their very eyes. Shades floated over the air until they encircled the entire company.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut," said the king. "Now you must die."

Legolas released an arrow and it flew through the king's face without damaging him. The arrow clattered onto the floor behind him.

"Just like an elf, always thinking with their bow," Dawn muttered. Louder, she said, "They're ghosts, Legolas. Arrows can't hurt them."

Aragorn drew himself up. "I summon you to fulfill your oath."

"None but the King of Gondor may command me," said the King of the Dead. He swung his sword to cut Aragorn down, but Aragorn blocked it with Anduríl. The king's eyes widened as he saw the sword and he said in surprise, "That line has been broken."

"It has been remade," Aragorn said as he grabbed the king by his throat. "Fight for us, and regain your honor." He released the king and looked at the others who surrounded them. "What say you?"

"You waste your time, Aragorn!" Gimli said, nervously watching the surrounding host. "They had no honor in life, they have none now in death."

"I am Isildur's heir! Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled! What say you?"

scenebreak

Faith eyed Remus as he gingerly walked out of the Great Hall. Then she looked over at the plate of food he had left behind on the table and frowned. He had barely eaten a thing, but had only drank something foul smelling from his glass.

Grabbing a roll to take with her, she stood and headed out of the Great Hall to find out what was wrong. "Yo, Remus!" She said as she reached the hallway.

The man stopped and turned. "Yes, Faith?"

She lightly jogged to catch up with him. "You alright? You ain't lookin' so hot."

"I'll be fine in a few days."

"Ya sure? 'Cause seriously, you're not looking so good," she said a bit skeptically.

He smiled softly. "The full moon is tonight."

"Oh yeah, that werewolf thing you've got going on. For a slayer, you'd think I'd pay more attention to the moon ya know," she said as they started walking. "Does it always do this to you? I don't remember Oz gettin' like this."

"I had a long talk with Willow one day. There are several strains of lycanthropy. Mine's a little different from his," Remus explained.

"Ah, gotcha. So what was that nasty stuff you were drinking at dinner?"

"Wolfsbane potion. It helps me stay in control while I'm in wolf form. That way I'm no danger to the students."

"Really," she said in surprise. "That's cool. Oz could have used that brew a few times."

They continued to walk in companionable silence while Faith ate her roll. She had no real clue of where they were headed but wanted to stay in his presence a little longer.

"Do you need anything?" She asked after finishing her roll.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Like someone to sit with you, to keep an eye on ya, or even for company."

"No, I should be fine," he said, stopping beside a portrait of a teenage girl holding a stake.

Faith blinked in surprise. "This your room?"

"It is." He turned to look at her. "You haven't been over here yet have you?"

"Nope. Just didn't know you had a slayer guarding your room. It's kinda cool."

"How did you know she was a slayer?"

"Stake was kind of a dead giveaway. And she's a girl."

"I ain't no girl," the portrait said in a thick cockney accent as she placed one hand on her hip. "I'm a vampire slayer."

"Yeah, got that," Faith said with a chuckle. "Little easy to recognize us at times."

"You must be the current one," the girl said.

"Sort of. It's a long story."

"Name's Liza." She turned to Remus. "You want in or what?"

"Uh...yes."

"Know the rules, Remus. Even though I know ya, I can't let ya in withou' a password."

"Interlunium."

The portrait swung open and Faith fidgeted slightly.

"Would you like to come in for a minute?" He asked.

"Sure," she replied and followed him inside.

A faint smile appeared on Faith's lips as she walked into a small living room. There wasn't one thing that she could point out to define the space as Remus, but it felt like the werewolf through and through.

She moved over to the mantle over the fireplace to look at all the pictures he had sitting out. "These Harry's parents?" She asked, pointing to one that had a young man with messy black hair and glasses hugging a woman with red hair and startling green eyes.

"Yes, James and Lilly."

"Cute couple. Harry definitely looks like them."

"It is quite remarkable," Remus agreed.

"Sure you don't want anyone to stay tonight?" She asked as she continued her exploration of the room.

Remus hesitated. He detested his monthly forced change. To him, anyone who saw him at that time saw him at his weakest. If he allowed her to be present, he would be revealing a large part of himself.

In just over three weeks he had fallen for this brash, yet compassionate young woman and it scared him. He had no right to chain her to such a useless man who could easily endanger her life.

But as he felt the change coming nearer, his senses also increased. He could smell her nervousness and wondered what the cause was. He watched her move about the room and she stopped next to a chair that had yesterday's robe draped over it. Her hand rested on top of the fabric and he swore he could see her rubbing it slightly.

Was she nervous about him changing into a werewolf? Or was she just nervous around him? He continued to watch her moving about the room and lightly touching his possessions.

Remus wondered if she really could be attracted to him, but quickly dismissed it as a foolish notion. His attraction to her was an old man's last grasp at a youth he never really got to experience. But she had so much more going for her than the wishful thinking of an old man with a disease.

"It wouldn't be a problem," she was saying. "I helped keep an eye on Oz several times back in Sunnyhell. 'Sides, you know me, I only need a few hours of sleep as it is."

Her nervousness was definitely growing stronger and he thought he detected a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "What about the training session?" He asked.

"I could cancel it."

"Those kids depend upon you," he reminded her.

"'Kay, so I come over after the training session. What else do I have to do? I don't grade papers, there are enough people researching, the forest went forever without a slayer patrolling it so missing one night won't hurt."

He chuckled softly. "I will have transformed by the time you'd get back."

"So? I'll knock on the door and warn ya before comin' in. It's not like I don't know your password now."

"Very well," he said, finally giving in. "You can stay if you'd like."

A grin spread across her face. "Alright Wolfie. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Are you sure you're fine with this?"

"Five by five," she said before slipping out the door.


	29. New Bonds

Hello all, sorry this took so long. But real life interfered and I hit some major writer's block. I couldn't seem to write anything for any of the fics I'm writing. Luckily, I've pulled out of the funk. Next chapter will be up next Sunday. I can promise because I've already got it written. :)

Review Responses:

TheChosenOne1987, general mac, thank you for your reviews.

John, yeah Aragorn's names have a lot to do with hiding. But Tolkien also had the habit of giving a lot of his characters multiple names, and even changing them after they performed great deeds. It was very confusing the first time I read any of his stuff.

Kyra2, you know me, things will never be completely easy for all my characters all the time. I'm afraid there is something nasty planned for Ginny in the future.

**LOTR Notes: **  
Mithrandir, another name for Gandalf. Strangely enough, it's an Elvish name and usually only the men of Gondor use the term.

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Twenty-Nine

New Bonds

Faith blinked several times as she oriented herself from her peaceful sleep. She found herself in an unusual position, but didn't exactly mind it. She was curled up next to a half-naked man.

A smile tugged at her lips even as fear tugged at her heart as she listened to Remus' soft breathing. She had never woken up in a man's arms before, let alone one she didn't have sex with first. It was a strange feeling but one she could easily get used to.

She wasn't exactly sure when she fell for the werewolf, especially since she had never harbored these types of feelings before. It must have happened somewhere between him accepting her past and then accepting her. He gave her so much and yet asked for nothing in return.

It scared her though. Now that he found a place in her heart she was worried that he'd leave. She had seen it happen time and again with her mother as she grew up. Her mother had spent most of her time crying over one man or another before finally killing herself. Faith had sworn then that she'd never let a man control her emotions that way. And she had been successful, until now.

Not that Remus was actually in control of her, but he had stirred her emotions into something unknown and scary. There was so much potential for her to get hurt, but also for her to be truly happy. It was a rather daunting decision placed in front of her. Stay with the caring, handsome man and be happy or eventually heartbroken. Or walk away now and never and know what might have been.

Her stomach tightened in panic as Remus stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times to focus and then smiled at her. "Good morning," he said softly as he reached to move a tendril of her dark hair off of her face.

To Faith's own surprise, she nuzzled his hand with her cheek. "Mornin'," she replied as her stomach unclenched.

"So no problems last night I see."

"Nope, you were one gentle puppy," she replied. Her eyes slid shut as he continued to run his fingers through her thick hair. It was relaxing enough that she'd fall back asleep if he kept it up.

"I don't think anyone has ever referred to my wolf form as a puppy," he said with a chuckle.

"First time for everything," she said sleepily. With a struggle, she opened her eyes and looked seriously at him. "Now what?"

His hand stopped and he studied her for several long seconds. "I thought we'd get dressed and head down to breakfast... together."

She smiled. "Together... I like that."

* * *

It was midday when the Rohirrim, along with Spike, Draco, and Ginny, arrived at Dunharrow. It was less like a city and more akin to a camp that was settled at the base of the White Mountains. Tents were pitched everywhere and there were thousands of men and horses bustling about.

As Théoden rode among his men, voices called out with the number of men who had answered the muster. "Five hundred men from the Westfall." "We have three hundred more from Fenmarch, Théoden King."

Ginny only barely heard the numbers for the four day trek had left her saddle weary. They had not ridden hard, but had covered a great deal of distance through the mountains with little rest. A glance over at Draco told her that he was only fairing slightly better.

They rode on until they reached a sheer cliff. Ginny was surprised to see a narrow road winding its way up. The king and his guards led the way up the cliff. The road criss-crossed the face of the cliff and each turn caused the redhead to grit her teeth. Over the past several days she had become comfortable in the saddle, but the hazardous road caused her anxiety to return.

After an hour, they reached the top to find that there was another camp set up on a shelf that overlooked the field below.

"Very defensible," Spike said approvingly as he looked over the edge. "As long as you have men up here to defend it, an enemy could never take this place. Unless they came from behind."

"That would be impossible, Master Spike," Théoden said. "For just behind us is the road that leads to the Paths of the Dead, the Dimholt Road. No one who has entered it, have ever made it out."

Spiked sent the king a scathing glare. "Draco's girlfriend, a young lady who I love dearly, just entered it yesterday."

"I know," Théoden said sadly. "But it has also been said that when the time was right, one man would survive the Road. Perhaps Aragorn is that man." Then he turned and entered his tent.

The vampire turned and tried to smile encouragingly at Draco and Ginny, but it never reached his eyes. With a nod, he followed Théoden into the tent.

Draco and Ginny silently made their way through the camp to see for themselves the Dimholt Road. A cold wind blew around them, causing them to shiver as they felt the ancient magic hidden along the path.

"Have you heard from her?" Ginny asked softly, partially in fear of disturbing the ghosts that guarded the entrance, and partially because she was being mindful of Draco's feelings.

"Not since yesterday when she contacted me just before entering the Mountain. She said it might be a while before she could again," he whispered, his frightened eyes staring down the path.

Ginny slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. "I'm sure she's fine. She's got thirty Rangers with her. Not to mention Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn will watch her back."

A faint smile tugged on Draco's lips. "Yeah. It's not like my girl can't kick ass all on her own either."

She giggled softly and then sighed. "It's not fair to be separated from them, " she said, thinking about Harry.

"No, it's not," he agreed.

"It's also not fair that mine went towards safety while yours is wandering a path that no one has ever left alive."  
"Does add to the suck factor." He looked down at her. "At least I've got my best friend with me."

She grinned up at him. "Yeah, there's luck in that. But who's this best friend you speak of?" She asked, just before running nimbly away.

"Why you..." he said with a grin, chasing after her. Their laughter echoing through the camp.

* * *

"The beacons of Gondor were lit yesterday evening," a soldier told Théoden. "Gondor is calling for aid."

Théoden solemnly nodded. "I had hoped for another few days to increase our number, but there is no more time. We ride in the morning. Send out word to the men to prepare."

The soldier nodded and left.

"The beacons of Gondor?" Spike asked.

"They are pyres stretched across the land. They are lit whenever aid is needed in another land," the king explained.

"Handy."

"Well Master Spike, it appears you will be reunited with your lady ere long, provided you both survive until then," Théoden said calmly, although his body was filled with tension.

"There is no hope for us, is there? We cannot defeat the armies of Mordor," Gamling said.

"No, we have no hope of winning, but we will meet them in battle nonetheless," Théoden said, steel in his voice. "We will give them such an end that songs are made of."

Spike grimly nodded and agreed. He sent out a silent prayer that Willow and Tara found the Ring soon, things in Middle Earth were looking bleak.

* * *

Harry could only stare at the sight before him in amazement. The mountain before them had a natural outgrowth and around it, the city of Minas Tirith seemed to be carved directly into it. At the very top, behind the last wall, rose a tower.

Gandalf had explained the layout of the city that morning while they rode nearer. They would have to pass through many defensive walls to reach the top. They would receive quite the tour of Minas Tirith since the gate in each wall was on different ends of the city, instead of being in a direct line.

As they rode through the city, many people stopped to watch them, but none interfered. When they reached the last gate, they dismounted since horses were not allowed in the top level, known as the Citadel. They walked through a large courtyard that contained a fountain and a sing white tree that carried no bloom. Seven men dressed in black guarded it.

Buffy thought that the tree looked rather pathetic, but understood why the people of Gondor clung to it. She gave the guards a cursory glance as they walked towards the tower on the other side.

Gandalf paused in front of the doors to the tower. He looked down at Pippin and said, "Now listen carefully. Lord Denethor is not the king, he is a steward - a caretaker of the throne. He is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise." He moved to go in, but stopped again. "And do not mention Frodo, or the Ring... And say nothing of Aragorn either." After several seconds of consideration, he added. "In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all Peregrin Took."

Then the wizard turned his eyes to Buffy and Harry. "It would be wise to not mention where you are truly from. Only that you hail from a distant land."

"Sounds good to me," Buffy said with a shrug. "If it causes less problems for us, then I'm all for it."

Gandalf nodded, but hesitated again. "And please try holding your tongue, Buffy. Lord Denethor is a proud man and will say much that will upset you. But I fear that darker things are happening here than I at first believed. It's best not to say anything until we finally understand where matters stand."

The tiny slayer glared at him for a moment and then nodded. She had a feeling that arguing with the Steward would only bring her more headaches. "Whatever, let's just do this."

He opened the door and the four entered a long hallway. Along the sides stood tall statues of the former kings of Gondor like silent sentries. At the end of the hall, there was a tall door of polished metal. Gandalf paused for a moment and took a deep breath before knocking.

The door swung open and they walked through. They saw a large throne sitting atop a tall dais with a smaller stone chair sitting below it. An old man sat in it, looking at an object in his lap. He did not look up at their entrance and Gandalf stopped several feet away from him.

"Hail Lord and Steward of Minas Tirith, Denethor son of Ecthelion. I come with counsel and tidings in this dark hour."

Denethor finally looked up with sad eyes. "Dark indeed is the hour and at such times you are wont to come, Mithrandir. Perhaps you come to tell me why my son is dead." He held up the broken object from his lap.

"That is the horn that Boromir always wore!" Pippin cried.

The Steward nodded sadly.

With a determined set of his chin, Pippin moved forward and went down on one knee. "Boromir died to save us, my kinsmen and me. He fell defending us from many foes."

"Pippin," Gandalf whispered harshly.

"I offer you my service, such as it is, in payment of this debt," Pippin continued, ignoring Gandalf.

Buffy moved to lift him off the floor, but he shook her off. "I don't think this is such a good idea, Pippin," she whispered.

"It is the least I could do," Pippin argued to her before turning back to Denethor. With pride in his voice he said, "Little service, no doubt, will so great a lord of men think to find in a hobbit, a halfling from the northern Shire; yet such as it is, I offer it." He drew forth his small sword and laid it at Denethor's feet.

Denethor studied him for several long minutes before a pale smile appeared. "I see that strange tales are woven about you and once again it is shown that looks may belie the man - or the halfling. I accept your service. Swear to me now."

Gandalf sighed. "Take the hilt and speak after the Lord, if you are resolved in this."

"I am," said Pippin.

The Denethor laid the sword across his lap and Pippin placed his hand to the hilt. Then he repeated slowly after Denethor. "Here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor, and to the Lord and Steward of the realm, to speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire of the Halflings."

"And this I do hear, Denethor son of Ecthelion, Lord of Gondor, Steward of the High King, and I will not forget it, nor fail to reward that which is given: fealty with love, valor with honor, oath-breaking with vengeance."

Then Pippin received back his sword and he sheathed it, a new light of pride in his eyes.

Denethor smiled down at him. "And now my first command to you: speak and be not silent. Tell me the full tale of Boromir and introduce your friends here."

Gandalf interrupted. "My lord, we have not the time for this, there are more pressing matters."

"That may be," Denethor said, his dark eyes narrowing dangerously. "But at the moment, to me, this is pressing. We may speak again at the end of the day."

For the next hour, Buffy was forced to bite her tongue and hold her hands back to keep her from doing something rash. What she really wanted to do was wring Pippin's neck for doing such a foolish thing. Denethor asked Pippin a lot of questions about Boromir and listened with rapt attention. She was sure he was digging for something, she just didn't know what.

When the steward's curiosity was satisfied, he called to one of his serving men. "Lead the Lord Mithrandir to the room prepared for him. His companions may lodge with him and in the room next door." He turned to Gandalf. "We will speak again soon," he said, excusing them from his presence.

Gandalf barely controlled his seething anger as they were led out of the great hall and to their rooms.


	30. The Distance Between

Hello everyone! Next chapter will be up next Sunday!

Review Responses:

John, Happy New Year to you, too! The ring sort of makes an appearance in this chapter. I finally reveal the location of Frodo and Sam, although the Scoobies won't know just yet.

harmoni, I'm so glad the major writer's block is over. It's still giving me some slight fits, but I'm at least able to get words on the paper now.

Chapter Thirty

The Distance Between

Tara blinked and then smiled in surprise as she recognized the clearing she was suddenly in. She only had a few seconds to brace herself when she heard Dawn's familiar voice call out, "Tara!" before she found herself in a gripping hug. She hugged the young woman back just as tightly.

"Where's Willow?" Dawn asked as she pulled back. "I couldn't find her, just you."

"She's probably still researching to find that... artifact you were looking for."

"Still haven't found it then?" Dawn asked sadly.

"Not yet."

"Not like it would matter at the moment," Dawn said with a sigh. "We're a little spread apart at the moment."

Tara's eyes widened with worry. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. We just... Well things are kinda happening quickly here... and we decided to go in different directions to keep track of everything... So, we're not all together," Dawn vaguely explained in case an unwanted guest was listening in.

"Oh dear," Tara said.

Dawn smiled. "You've been hanging around Giles way too much."  
"Occupational hazard," Tara replied with a grin of her own. Turning serious, she asked, "So it's gonna be a while, huh?"

"Probably. Wish it could be different."

"Same here."

"I should get back. As much as I'd like to stay, it's dangerous to be here too long."

"Take care," Tara said, tears in her eyes.

"You, too. Hopefully we'll be home soon." Dawn said.

Tara suddenly found herself alone in the room she shared with Willow. With a sigh, she got out of bed and went in search of Willow and the others to tell them the news.

* * *

In Minas Tirith, the small group reached their rooms in silence. When the serving man left, Pippin looked up at Gandalf mournfully. "You're angry at me, aren't you, Gandalf? I did the best I could."

Some of the tension left Gandalf's body as he wearily smiled at the hobbit. "You did indeed. But hear this now, he is not as other men of this time. Whatever be his descent from father to son, by some chance the blood of Westernesse runs nearly true in him; as it does in his other son Faramir. He has long sight. He can perceive, if he bends his will thither, much of what is pressing in the minds of men, even those who dwell far off. It is difficult to deceive him, and dangerous to try.

"Remember that! For you are now sworn to his service. I do not know what put it into your head to do that, but it was well done. I did not hinder it, for generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. It touched his heart. And at least you are free now to move about as you will in Minas Tirith - when you are not on duty."

"I still think it was a stupid idea," Buffy said. Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"As long as he keeps his wits about him, he should be fine," Gandalf said, walking out onto the balcony overlooking the city.

Buffy and Harry followed him while Pippin stayed in the room, happily eating from the plates of food that had been left for them.

"Can I just say now that I don't trust Denethor," Buffy said, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked out over the field that spread out around Minas Tirith.

"And well you shouldn't," Gandalf said, pulling out his pipe to light.

"No, I'm serious," Buffy said. "Something about him didn't feel right."

"He kind of made my scar itch," Harry chimed in. "Not as bad as when Voldemort is up to something, but it was bothersome."

Buffy turned her solemn hazel eyes up to Gandalf. "See, evil does that to Harry. I don't think Denethor is on our side anymore and that equals major badness."

"We will do what we can," Gandalf assured her, but it almost sounded as if he was reassuring himself.

"What's that over there?" Harry asked, pointing to the dark clouds that were hanging over the far horizon. They looked to be lit from below by a large fire.

"That is Mordor," Gandalf answered, removing his pipe from his mouth. "This city has ever dwelt in sight of its shadow."

"Ya don't think you could've warned me about this?" Buffy asked. She sighed and looked over at Harry. "I'm sorry. I thought this would be safer, but I think I brought you closer to danger."

He gave her a rueful smile. "When am I _not_ in danger?"

"Everyday except Tuesday, that's reserved for Dawn," she joked. She turned her eyes back towards Mordor. Her eyesight wasn't as good as the Elves, but she could tell something wasn't right. Dark clouds were spreading out from the evil land. "I think there's a storm coming."

Gandalf's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed. "This is not the weather of the world. This is a device of Sauron's making," he said softly. "A broil of fume he sends ahead of his host. The orcs of Mordor have no love of daylight, so he covers the face of the sun to ease their passage along the road to war."

"You mean he's blocking out the sun?" Harry asked with worry. He shuddered to think how powerful Sauron would have to be to do that - and that was without the Ring to boost his power.

"Yes, Master Harry. When the shadow of Mordor reaches the city, it will begin. There will be no sun to hinder the movement of the orcs." He paused to take a long draw from his pipe. "I'm afraid our only hope for help is for it to come to us - either the Rohirrim, or some other unlooked for place."

"Damn," Buffy muttered. "Are orcs the only thing we should expect to fight?" She asked, trying to gauge the strength of their enemy.

"Nay, legions of Haradrim, men of the south, will be among the host, along with mercenaries from the coast, and creatures of darkness that Man hasn't seen in a long count of years. All will answer Mordor's call."

"But we have the White Wizard, that's got to count for something," Pippin said, coming up behind them.

Gandalf's face became haunted as he looked out with unseeing eyes. "Sauron has yet to release his deadliest servant. The one who will lead Mordor's armies in war. The one they say no living man can kill. The Witch-King of Angmar. You've met him before, Pippin. He stabbed Frodo on Weathertop. He is the lord of the Nazgûl, the greatest of the Nine. We come to it at last." His voice fell to a low whisper. "The great battle of our time. The board is set. The pieces are moving."

* * *

Sam took one last look around their campsite to make sure they weren't leaving anything behind and that they had erased as many signs of their presence that he could. After one month of staying in that strange world, they were finally heading out to see if they could find someone to help them get back home.

He wasn't entirely convinced that this was the smartest thing to do. They had no clue what type of horrors this world contained. But since he had no other suggestions he let it be. With his pots and pans clanging around as they hung from his pack, he walked over to Frodo. "It's not as good a job as what Strider would have done, but it's clean. So which way do we go, Mr. Frodo?"

The ringbearer looked out into the surrounding forest and pointed. "That way."

"Any particular reason why?" Sam asked.

"It's as good of a direction as any," Frodo answered. Sam nodded and the two hobbits began walking.

Nearly an hour later, they heard rustling in the bushes around them. They froze and prepared themselves for whatever was approaching. Their jaws dropped when a being with flabby skin and floppy ears backed out of the trees and nearly ran into them. But what really made them gasp was when it turned around and showed them its red eyes.

The two hobbits instantly drew their swords and braced themselves for attack.

"Oh! Hi!" It said, its smile showing pointed teeth. "No need to be waving swords around. Really, nice guy here."

"How do we know you're not just saying that so you can attack us when we lower our guards?" Sam asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Uhhh.... I guess you don't really know that. But I'm a good guy. I don't even cheat a poker."

"Poker?" Frodo asked.

"It's a card game. Some people play for money, I personally like cats. It can get kind of nasty if you play with the wrong sort."

The thing was still standing there with his hands in the air, trying to look as defensive as possible. "My name is Clem. And you... would not be from around here, would you?"

"How would you know that?" Frodo asked.

"I usually hear about everyone who comes and goes around here," Clem said with a shrug. "I take it you just got into town, don't know your way around?"

"Sort of," Sam said, still not really trusting someone with red eyes.

"Well, if you need a place to stay, I've got plenty of space at my crypt. You could stay for as long you'd like." He paused before adding, "This isn't always the safest neighborhood."

Frodo nodded slowly. "Yes, that would be nice. Thank you."

"Could you lower your swords first? They're making me kind of nervous."

The hobbits sheathed their swords and the three started walking.

* * *

Spike's loud voice roused Ginny out of a deep sleep. "Come on Ginny! Draco! Up and at 'em. We got a war to go to."

Draco sat up and stretched with a yawn. "It's still dark out. What time is it?"

"The sun's been up for a few hours. There's some sort of cloud blocking the sun. It's still there though, I can feel it."

"What?" Ginny asked in surprise. "That should be impossible."

"You would think. Doesn't matter, we gotta get going'," Spike said, before leaving the tent the two teens shared.

Ginny sleepily nodded as she stood. She and Draco began helping each other into the small amount of armor they had gathered the night before. They had still found nothing to fit Ginny's thinner frame, but with a flick of her wand she had quickly resized them.

She hoped that when they reached Minas Tirith that she could bathe and get clean clothes. She hadn't been clean since before they left Helm's Deep and her clothes hadn't been cleaned yet. All the traveling and sleeping in the same clothes made her wish for just an extra set of clothes.

"This stuff weighs a ton," she grumbled as Draco tightened the straps of her breastplate.

"I'd rather have it weigh a ton than not be there when you need it," Draco commented while she moved to help him with his own.

The two stepped out of the tent a short while later to see that most of the other tents had been collapsed and packed away. Theirs was one of the last standing.

Merry came towards them smiling brightly. "I've got my own armor too," he said proudly.

"Not too bad," Ginny said approvingly. "Spike help you with the adjusting of it?"  
"Yes, I didn't know magic could do that," Merry said.

Théoden made his way over to them on top his horse. He called out to the men around him. "We must ride light and swift. It's a long road to ahead, and man and beast must reach the end with the strength to fight." He stopped next to the trio. "Little hobbits do not belong in war, Master Meriadoc."

"All my friends are going to battle. I would be ashamed to be left behind," Merry argued.

The king shook his head. "It's a five day gallop to Minas Tirith, and the pony I gave you won't be able to keep up. None of my rider's can bear you as a burden."

"I want to fight."

"I will say no more," Théoden said sternly, riding off to finish directing his men.

"It's not fair," Merry said dejectedly, kicking the grass around his feet in frustration.

Draco looked at his little friend. "He's right though, about the pony. He'll never make it."

"And you're the one who pledged their services to him, now you're stuck obeying his orders." Ginny reminded him. "If you hadn't done that, he couldn't have ordered you to stay behind. You could've gone with us."

A slim soldier approached them and Ginny thought that something about his gait seemed familiar.

"I will carry you Merry," the soldier said in a light tenor.

Merry looked up at him in surprised. His eyes widened even further when he recognized the eyes shining out from under the helm. "I would be honored, my lady," he said with a slight bow.

She brought a finger up to her lips and said, "Shhh."

Ginny and Draco grinned at each other and moved closer so that their conversation could not be easily overheard. "Thought you were told to stay behind and take care of your people," Ginny said in a low voice, not really surprised to see the shieldmaiden.

"I belong with m uncle whether he realizes it or not," Éowyn said. "I'd rather go forth in battle and die trying to make a difference, rather than be left behind waiting for the end to come if Gondor falls."

The redhead nodded. "I get it. I'd like to ride next to you. I love Draco like a brother, but I miss having another girl around to talk to. Even if she's disguised as a man."

"I'd love it," Éowyn said with a smile.

"I'll ride with you, too," Draco said. "That way it won't look strange for Gin to be riding in the middle of a bunch of soldiers alone." He moved off to saddle he and Ginny's horses.

Draco was glad to see that Ginny had another female friend. She was still having trouble pulling out of the funk she had been in since Helm's Deep. It could be that Ginny sensed that Éowyn could be the one to fully get her out of her quagmire of emotions. But then again, there was always that strange female need to be surrounded by other females.


	31. Corsairs and Strange Lights

Hello all! Next chapter will be up next Sunday!

Review Responses:

John, yeah, Frodo and Sam aren't exactly in the safest of places. I'm just surprised nobody thought of them landing there, everyone swore they were in the Forbidden Forest. As for Merry, it's just this quick little scene in the book that I didn't write, just mentioned. I'm doing that with several other scenes in the next few chapters. To actually write them would include more characters and I don't want to throw more at you guys when there's only ten chapters left in the fic.

Harmoni, hey girl. I'm glad you liked where I had dropped them out. I had to put them somewhere where it wouldn't be easy to find them and the last place they would think of looking. Thanks for the review!

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Thirty-One

Corsairs and Strange Lights

Snape knew something was wrong the moment he walked into his quarters. Anya was curled up in one of the large chairs staring pensively into the fire. She didn't even look up when he entered.

Anya was not one to sit around and brood, that was his job. What was even more eerie was the fact that she was quiet. His Anya was never quiet. As a matter of fact, she usually talked his ear off. But at the moment she sat in the chair, saying nothing, with a worried look in her eyes.

He sighed to himself and headed into the bedroom. He took his robe off and hung it up so that it wouldn't wrinkle. Then he silently went back to the living room. Still she sat motionless and seemingly oblivious to his presence.

Despite his worry over the woman who managed to unfreeze his cold heart, a smirk appeared on his lips. It was time to give the woman a taste of her own medicine. Settling into his best glare, one that was known to make Neville faint just thinking about it, he moved to stand in front of her.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing woman?" He bellowed, towering over her.

To his surprise, only her eyes moved to look up at him. Now he knew something was definitely wrong. This was not his Anya. His Anya would have jumped up and retorted that she wasn't a woman, but a demon. This one just continued to stare blankly up at him.

Fear gripped his heart. He was suddenly faced with the prospect that this was the point where she decided that while the time she had spent with the surly potions master had been fun, she was ready to move on to someone else. As much as she irritated him in the beginning, the thought of spending his future without her saddened him greatly.

Losing his glare, he dropped to his knees in front of her. "What's wrong?" He asked softly, scared of what her answer would be.

"What am I even here?" She asked back.

Relief flooded him for a minute as he realized that she wasn't leaving him, but it was quickly replaced by confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why am I here?" She asked again. "I can't contribute anything. All I do is go from demon hideout to demon hideout and confirm that Frodo and the Ring aren't there. I'm even more useless in research than Xander. I'm not contributing to the good fight," she said, her voice increasing in volume. "And frankly, it upsets me!"  
Snape couldn't help it, he laughed.

"This isn't funny broody britches. I'm in pain here, you're supposed to be comforting me. That's your job as my boyfriend."  
"I'm sorry," he said after his laughter died down. He took her smaller hands into his large ones. "Did you ever think that your contribution is already happening?"

She opened her mouth to respond and then stopped. She looked at him in confusion.

"You're narrowing down the search faster than anyone else could. Without you, we'd probably still be searching England. The only thing that could stop you would be copious amounts of money lying around."

Anya grinned suddenly and threw her arms around him. "Sevie, you say the sweetest things."

* * *

Ron stifled a chuckle as Hermione let out a fairly loud snore. He knew his girlfriend would be mortified to learn that she wasn't exactly the quietest of sleepers. She shifted slightly in his arms and her snoring eased.

He returned his gaze to the fire in front of them in the living area that Hermione normally shared with Draco. So far, Dumbledore refused to allow anyone to replace Draco's position so as to not alert any of Voldemort's people that he had left the school. He knew talk was floating around, especially since there were others gone, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The redhead just wished he could find out if his sister and the others were alright. He knew that Tara said things were fine, but it wasn't the same as seeing his sister for himself.

He just knew he'd never forgive himself if something happened to Ginny while she was over there. Even though his mum and dad had given their blessings, he had always seemed closer to Ginny than any of their other brothers did. He was usually the one she looked to for protection and now he wasn't there to protect her. Intellectually he knew that Harry and Draco would, but it was still different. She was his baby sister. _He_ was the one who should be protecting her and nobody else.

Ron wearily rubbed his eyes. He should probably be getting some sleep himself, but something was pulling at his brain and it wouldn't let him. Something told him that they weren't searching for Frodo and the Ring correctly, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what the right way was. There had to be an easier and faster way of searching than what they were doing. But every time he tried to explain it to Willow and Tara, they kept insisting that the scrying was the best way. He even tried to vocalize his opinions to Hermione, but her skills in Wicca were so minimal that she wasn't much help.

He only hoped that the solutions were somewhere in the Wiccan books that Willow and Tara had lent him. Ron was fairly certain that the answers were hidden somewhere in them, it was just taking him forever to find it.

His tired body began taking over and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Dawn almost cried in relief when Legolas said he could smell fresh air. They had been walking through the tunnels for what seemed like forever, but had only been a few days. The oppressive darkness and the whispering of the ghosts had nearly driven her mad.

The group had been chased out of the large chamber where they had met the ghosts by an avalanche of human bones before they had received an answer. The whole thing felt like a surreal Indiana Jones moment and she kept waiting for a large boulder to come rolling down the passage towards them. Luckily, it never came, but it appeared that the ghosts were refusing to help the King of Gondor once more.

The brief conversation she had shared with Tara the day before had done little to alleviate the depression caused by the Paths of the Dead.

Before long, a breeze touched her face and tension began to leave her body. It took her several moments to realize that they had exited the caves expecting to see daylight, only to find that a great darkness covered the land.

"Umm, isn't it the middle of the day?" Dawn asked Elrohir.

"Aye," he answered, his grey eyes taking everything in.

"Then what's up with the sky?"

"Tis not natural," the elf simply replied.

To their right, Aragorn dropped to his knees and uttered a soft, "No." His voice was filled with such despair that it made her want to cry. She followed his gaze and saw ten ships in the river below them, their lights twinkling in the strange darkness.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Corsairs," Elladan explained. "They are vicious fighters and are sailing to Minas Tirith to aid the invasion."

"There's not enough of us to stop them," she whispered. The thirty Rangers and the remnants of the Fellowship stood no chance against the ten ships loaded with Corsairs. "It's not fair."

The future king looked out in defeat as Legolas placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. They knew they were staring at their deaths in the river below. For even though they knew that they could not stop them, they would do what they could to cut back on their numbers.

A chilled wind suddenly whipped around them causing Aragorn to jump to his feet and anxiously look around. Out of the sheer rock of the mountain face, the ghost king stepped through and stood before Aragorn. With a proud tilt of his decaying chin, he proclaimed, "We will fight."

Relief shone in Aragorn's eyes as he grimly smiled and nodded his acceptance of the new pledge.

* * *

It took them the rest of the day to ride down the mountainside. The dead could not be seen, but Dawn could feel them pressing around them whispering to each other. Only Gimli seemed to be blithely ignorant of their presence.

They stood on the shore of the river and waited for the first of the ships to reach them. Aragorn stood in front, proud and resolute. Dawn could see that once he had accepted that he was a leader of men, he no longer seemed to be the shabbily dressed Ranger, but a king coming into his own.

When the first ship was in hailing distance, Aragorn called out, "You may go no further."  
The Corsairs who had been bustling about on the ships only moments before, looked out to see a small band of Rangers on the beach. They let out a scornful laugh.

"You will not enter Gondor," Aragorn told them.

Above the new round of laughter from the ship, one man spoke out. "Who are you to deny us passage?"  
Without looking away from the ships, Aragorn said softly, "Legolas, fire a warning shot passed the bosun's ear."  
"See, _this _is where bows and arrows are appropriate," Dawn said with a smirk.

Legolas ignored her and pulled an arrow out of his quiver and lined up his shot.

"Mind your aim, elf," Gimli cautioned him.

Legolas pulled back and just before he released the arrow, Gimli tapped the bottom of the bow with his axe, causing the arrow to hit the man behind the bosun.

Gimli let out a surprised, innocent little, "Oh," while Aragorn and Legolas shot him scathing looks. The dwarf yelled. "That's right, we warned you! Prepare to be boarded."

The silence that had fallen over the Corsairs erupted into laughter once more. "Boarded? By you and whose army?" The bosun bellowed.

"This army," Aragorn said, steel in his voice. The dead suddenly appeared from behind them and rushed forward. The dead walked across water as easily as land and swarmed over the ships. While the dead could harm the living, the living could not harm them and before long the ships were devoid of any living being.

Aragorn passed out orders for the Rangers to split up among the ships. They would continue to sail the ships to Minas Tirith to fool the enemy into thinking that more backup was coming and to hide their new army.

* * *

Harry wandered the halls of Citadel by himself. While he was glad of the reprieve from the road that Minas Tirith had brought, he was finding himself growing bored. His friends were either in a different part of Middle Earth or were left back at Hogwarts and attending their classes. Pippin was off fulfilling his duties as one of the guards of the city and Gandalf was brooding about the direction of the war.

There had been some brief excitement the day before when the garrison that had been stationed at Osgiliath had been chased out of the city and across the fields of Pelennor to the White City. They were being pursued by the Nazgûl and only with Gandalf's timely assistance were they able to escape.

Denethor's son, Faramir, was the captain of the garrison at Osgiliath. His father had been most displeased of his abandonment of the city and was quite vocal about it. As a result, Faramir had formed a larger company to try and retake the city. They had left a short time ago, and Buffy had gone with them.

He couldn't help but wish that he had a job to do like the rest of them. The sitting around and waiting was maddening. If he had been at Hogwarts, he would have grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map and found a way to help. But he had neither object here to help him. Here, he was just a young man with no ties to any nationality.

Moving onto a balcony, he looked out over the dark world. He had read about how there were places on earth that several months out of the year in the darkness. After spending just a few days in the magically imposed cloud cover, he knew that he would never live in any of those places.

An orangish flashing light caught his eye and he looked up to see it coming from a room high in the tower of Ecthelion. It flickered for a few minutes and then winked out. He continued to stare, but it never returned.

Shrugging to himself, he turned and went back inside to continue his wanderings. What he wouldn't give to have someone to talk to at that moment. Hell, even Draco would have been a nice change of pace. Although, admittedly, he and the young Malfoy had become friends as of late, rather than rivals. It was amazing how times of strife and danger could even make once enemies become friends.

Harry's stomach grumbled and he went off in search of something to eat.


	32. Chatting and Fighting

Hey all! Next chapter will be up next Sunday. :)

****

Review Responses:

John, Thanks for letting me know that the LOTR stuff is still clear. I appreciate your letting me know when I get too bogged down in unfamiliar stuff. :) Don't worry, Willow and everyone else will find Frodo and Sam soon, just a few more chapters.

melodieeidolem, thanks for the review!

****

A/N: Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

A/N2: Because I've had problems with the emails sent out about updating I'm discontinuing them. I've had most of them returned saying they were undeliverable. There's, at most, ten more chapters to the fic. They will be posted every Sunday so just check the story then.

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL.

****

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chatting and Fighting

Hi honey! Came Dawn's voice in Draco's ears. It had been so unexpected that he nearly fell out of his saddle.

****

You're ok, he said in relief. **What happened? What took you so long to respond?**

Sorry about that, she said a little sheepishly. **Things got a little tense. We weren't sure what was going to happen so I didn't contact you until I was sure we were safe.**

Have you talked to Willow yet?

Tara actually. They still haven't found them. Not like it would matter if they had. We're still spread too far apart to create a portal.

Draco couldn't help but silently agree. **Have you talked to Buffy?**

Not for a while.

Does she even know that you aren't riding with us? He asked, knowing Buffy would be pissed if she found out after the fact.

****

Yes. I told her right after we had left Helm's Deep. She wasn't happy about it, but she understood. Hold on a sec, she said.

He took advantage of the moment of silence to let Ginny know he was talking to Dawn and he urged his horse out of the way. Moments later he could feel Buffy through the connection.

****

Draco, where are you right now? Buffy asked.

****

All of the Rohirrim are riding to Minas Tirith.

Good. Things are a little tight here.

What's going on? Draco asked.

****

We're getting ready to try and take back the city of Osgiliath.

Osgiliath? Dawn asked.

****

It's a city that isn't too far from Minas Tirith, Buffy explained.** Orcs took it yesterday. We're trying to take it back. If they keep Osgiliath they can launch an attack onto Minas Tirith from there**. They could feel the tension in her voice. **What about you, Dawn? Where are you?**

Right now I'm on a ship.

A ship? Draco said in surprise. **How did you get on a ship?**

We took over the fleet of Corsair ships Aragorn had seen in the palantir, Dawn said. **It's one less bad guy to worry about, and we've got some friends with us.**

What kind of friends? Buffy asked.

****

An army of the dead, she replied.

****

What! Draco and Buffy sputtered as one.

****

Relax, they're loyal to Aragorn. They can kill the living, but the living can't kill them. But we won't reach you for a few days.

We won't either, Draco added.

****

Alright, Buffy said wearily. **Do what you can and be careful. We're in a position so I've got to go. I love you**.

****

Love you, too, Dawn said, and then Buffy broke from their connection.

****

I should probably go, too, Draco said sadly. He was missing her terribly and this had eased the sadness slightly. But he knew it couldn't last, they had things to do. **I don't want to fall too far behind the others. I had to stop riding so I wouldn't fall off the horse.**

Dawn giggled and it brought a small smile to his face. **As if you could ever do that, **she said. **How is Ginny?**

Better, but she's still not completely herself. You might want to talk to her when we meet back up, he advised. **I love you.**

I love you, too, she said. Then her presence was gone from his mind and he urged his horse forward once more.

-

Clem shook his head in amazement. Only Buffy and Spike would have friends from another dimension who would unexpectedly show up. He sat down and began composing a letter to send with the owl the Scoobies had given him.

Hey Buffy,

This is Clem. I found two people, actually they call themselves hobbits. So I guess I should say I found two hobbits who say they know you. I found them out wandering in the woods earlier this week.

Once they learned that they were in Sunnydale, they got really excited. They claimed they knew you from your visit to Middle Earth. I would've figured you would've been with them. But I understand the craziness of portals and dimensions.

They're looking for a way to get back home and they knew you know how to get them back. Just thought I'd let you know they were here.

Oh! They're names are Frodo and Sam.

Clem

He tied the note firmly to Marcus', his owl, leg and released him to find his way to Hogwarts and to Buffy.

-

With rage clearly written across Buffy's face, she tried to rally the troops around her. She had known from the beginning that the attack on Osgiliath was a futile plan, even worse than Helm's Deep. The men around here were being systematically slaughtered and she didn't have a high enough rank to order a retreat.

She began searching for Faramir, hoping that the captain of Gondor would give the order. There were several reasons why she had ridden with them. First, being that the slayer inside of her, the warrior spirit, had gone too long without a fight and wanted out.

Secondly, she had watched Faramir as he argued with is father over their next course of action. She had seen in Faramir's eyes that he knew the Steward's orders left little hope of survival, but he followed his father's orders nonetheless. He seemed to be far more intelligent than his slowly maddening father. Buffy could see where he would make a great advisor to Aragorn should they make it through all of this. So wanting to keep the man alive, she had ridden with them.

Fear clawed at her chest as the Nazgûl flew over top of them, but she pushed it aside. The fear they tried to instill in her could not quench her fighting spirit.

She finally found Faramir at the center of the battle and she fired an arrow into an orc that was about strike him from behind. "Faramir! We need to retreat!" She called out. "If we don't go now, we'll all be dead!"  
The man of Gondor made no move to indicate that he heard her and continued fighting the orc in front of him. When he finally cut him down, he yelled out, "Retreat! Retreat to Minas Tirith!"

"Finally," Buffy muttered.

About that time, an arrow came from the skies above and struck Faramir in the chest, knocking him from his horse. The slayer caught up to him, just as he hit the ground and she reached a hand out to help him onto her own horse. His weak grip told her that his wound was serious and she hauled him into the saddle in front of her. Then she wheeled the horse around and raced to Minas Tirith.

Around her, the men had already begun the retreat, and her and the wounded Faramir were the last to leave the battlefield. Her horse, suddenly carrying the weight of two, could not keep up with the riders in front of them and began falling behind.

Some of the faster orcs, seeing the weakness, moved in closer to try and kill as many men as possible. With one hand holding the reins and Faramir, she weilded her sword in the other. It was awkward as hell, even with her abilities, and she began to worry about making it back alive.

She saw streaks of colored light flying past her head. Daring a look, she saw Harry standing atop the outer wall, throwing curses as best as he could at the pursuing orcs. In that moment, she felt a lacing pain in her side, but didn't stop to inspect it. Drawing on her own strength and a deeper well of strength she didn't know she possessed, she pressed on.

Harry was able to keep the orcs back so a small company of Gondor soldiers could double back and help fight them off. They cleared a path for Buffy and Faramir, who rode the rest of the distance unmolested.

Gandalf quickly led her to the House of Healing, once they were safely inside the city walls. Faramir had fallen unconscious long before they had entered the city. As several of the healers helped him off the horse, she was surprised as to how ashen Faramir's face was.

"The arrow may have been poisoned," Buffy said as they carried him into the house.

"We will take care of him, my lady," They assured her. "Now come inside so we may tend to your injury as well."

She waved them off. "I've got to talk to Gandalf first."

Gandalf looked up at Buffy, who was still astride her horse. "How bad is it?"

"This city is full of orcs, we don't have the people here to take back the city. In fact, I don't know if we have enough people to hold _this _city. I saw that they were prepared to move out. They'll have us surrounded by tomorrow morning."

He nodded wearily. "Thank you, Buffy. Now let them look at your wound. We'll need you at your full strength soon."

"Sure." She looked at him with a wry look on her face. "Can you help me down though? I don't think I can do it myself with this arrow sticking out of me."

-

Dawn cried out in pain and crumpled to the deck of the ship clutching her stomach. Aragorn and Elrohir were the first to reach her. They crouched in front of her while the rest hovered behind them.

"Amaurëa," Aragorn said, concern coloring his voice. "Amaurëa, what's wrong?"

"It's Buffy, she's hurt," Dawn said, tears of pain sliding down her face.

"How can you know that?" Elrohir asked.

Aragorn answered for her since she was gasping. "She shares a link with her sister and mate. It's what allows her to open portals and speak over great distances. I was unaware it was capable of this."

"We didn't know either," Dawn said, clenching her teeth. Sweat appeared on her brow.

"How long will this last?" Elrohir asked.

"Not sure... may be if I block her... entirely... might help" She closed her eyes in concentration while everyone looked breathlessly on.

After several interminably long minutes her body relaxed and her breathing evened out. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at them. "Seems I'm not the only one who can pull power through the link. Buffy needed to make sure she had enough strength to make it back to Minas Tirith so she unconsciously used me," she explained.

"Will she be alright?" Gimli asked.

"Yeah, with her enhanced healing abilities and with the help of the healers she'll be fine. In fact, she'll probably be healed completely before we get there."

Aragorn smiled at her. "Why don't you rest for a while, Amaurëa."

"That sounds like a plan," she said as she shakily got to her feet.

-

Faith smiled up at the man who was walking next to her. "You know, Wolfman, you didn't have to come with me. I do this by myself all the time."

Remus shrugged. "I figured I should probably see what I was getting myself into."

"Huh?"

"Wesley offered me a job at Angel Investigations once Buffy and Spike come back."

She stopped and stared at him. "Wes did what?"

"Offered me a job. If you're upset about it, I'll turn it down..." he began unhappily.

"_No!_"She said in surprise. "No, no, no, no! Take the job. We could always use another hand around the place - we can cover more ground. I'm surprised you'd take it, though. You've probably got loads of other offers."

He sadly shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Werewolves aren't exactly considered good company in the wizarding world. Most companies will not employ one in fear of spreading the 'disease'."

Faith rolled her eyes and snorted. "It's not like you can catch it like the flu." They started walking again. "So fighting evil, huh?"

"I figured I fit in with your group better than the wizarding world and I get to put my defense abilities to good use."

"Well you'll definitely fit in with us," she said. "There's a half-demon seer, a full demon who reads auras and futures when people sing, a vampire with a soul, a slayer, a former watcher who can kick some pretty serious ass on his own, a genius who was stuck in another dimension for several years, and a streetfighter. Yeah, being a werewolf you're practically normal."

He chuckled softly and then added, "There was another reason why I agreed to the job."

"Really? What was that?"

Before he had a chance to answer they were tackled by several demons from behind.

Faith shoved the demon off of her and jumped to her feet. "Ya alright, Remus?" She yelled as she traded blows with the demon in front of her.

"Still here!" He answered.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him dodging the demons blows before pulling out his wand and catching it on fire. As it ran screaming into the brush, several more moved in to take its place. She snapped the neck of the one she was fighting in time to get a nasty scratch from another on her right.

"Now that wasn't very nice," she said as she dropped low to the ground and knocked it feet out from under it. She pulled out the knife she had hidden in her waistband and drove it into its heart in one smooth motion.

Rising to her feet, she saw the last demon throw Remus at her before disappearing into the forest. He landed on top of her and she instantly forgot about the demons they had just been fighting.

"You were saying?" She asked, staring into his soft brown eyes that were only inches from her own.

"That there was another reason for me to take the job."

"And it is?" She asked huskily.

Remus stared down at her dirt smudged face and felt torn. On one hand he knew he shouldn't try to push himself on such a young, beautiful creature, but one the other, she had given him all sorts of signals that she didn't mind. In fact, with the way she was wiggling her lower half, he was fairly certain that if he didn't make the first move soon, she'd do it for him.

Instead of voicing his reason, he closed the distance between them and softly kissed her. The dark haired slayer gasped in pleasant surprise allowing his tongue entrance.

She had never experienced such a soft sensuous kiss before and it made all of her extremities tingle. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close and deepened the kiss.

When he finally pulled back, she looked up at him with glazed eyes. "Wow. I mean wow," she said softly. "I like this reason."

"I like it, too."


	33. Battle Of Pelennor Field

Hello everyone! Next chapter will be up next Sunday.

Review Responses:

melodieeidolem, I'm afraid this is where this story will end. I can't see past the end of this fic. Plus I have a lot of other stories I need to return my attention to.

harmoni, Yeah, things are going to start pulling together and hopefully clues I've been leaving throughout the fic will suddenly make sense. crosses fingers

John, here's hoping this battle goes well. This chapter is nothing but one big battle. I've got two more chapters planned like this.

Lightdemondarkangel, caribbeanprincess, Thank you guys so much for your reviews!

My reviewers are just awesome! Thank you guys!

**A/N:** Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like _**this.**_ When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like When telepathy is being used, it will look like 

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Battle of Pelennor Fields

Buffy frowned as she looked out over the field. There were more orcs here than at Helm's Deep. She knew that this battle would make or break the world of men.

She absently rubbed her side where the arrow had pierced her. Thanks to her slayer healing ability added with the healing she got from her bond with Spike all that was left was an angry red scar. The Healers had never seen anyone mend as quickly as she had. She was healed and rested enough to fight. She could only wish that the same could be true for Faramir. His body was wracked with fever and he had fallen into a deep sleep that no one could wake him from.

At least she didn't have to worry too much about Harry during the battle. He was going to stick close to Gandalf and lend what magical aid he could.

She didn't know if either her eyes were getting used to the dark or if Sauron's power was diminishing, but it almost appeared to her as if the sky had turned from black to dark grey. If it was because his power was weakening, it meant he was spreading himself too thin and would soon be unable to control the cloud. Hoping that the latter was the case rather than the former.

Seeing that the orcs and other creatures were nearly in position she sent out a thought to Dawn. **How far away are you?**

At least half a day, Dawn replied after a moment. She sent out a query to Draco. **How far away?**

Half a days ride, he answered. **We can't get there any faster and expect the horses to be ready.**

**Great, **Buffy muttered. **The orcs are here and are ready to fight. **

**How bad is it?** Dawn asked.

**Pretty bad,** Buffy said with a sigh.

**Let me see,** Dawn said.**Huh?**

**Just relax and trust me. I've done this with Draco before.**

**Ok,** Buffy said skeptically.

**And don't fight me on this.**

Buffy mentally nodded her head and let Dawn do her thing. She felt Dawn fill her head and sort of set her gently to the side and she suddenly had no control over her body.

Dawn swept Buffy's eyes over the field and sent the image to Draco.** Let Spike know that's what we're up against, I'll tell Aragorn**, Dawn said as she relinquished control back to Buffy. **We'll get there as soon as we can, Buffy. **She said before slipping out of the connection.

The slayer was once again left alone with her thoughts as she waited for the orcs to attack.

-

Harry swallowed nervously as he looked over the approaching army. All of the orcs were finally in place and were now making their move on Minas Tirith. As soon as they were within range, Gandalf ordered the soldiers to start releasing their arrows. All the men viewed Gandalf as their commander since Denethor had not been since Faramir was injured.

The young wizard did what he could by throwing curses and hexes at anything that came within reach, but most were too far out for any of the curses to take full effect so he waited.

"When they start coming over the walls, Master Harry, try your best to stay close," Gandalf said to him.

His mouth too dry to answer, he just nodded in response.

-

As the Nazgûl swept over the city atop their winged beasts, the men around Buffy cowered in fear. She once again shrugged off her own fear that clawed at her chest and shouted at the men around her. "Don't let them stop you! Take the fear they cause in you and turn it against them! Use it to strengthen your resolve to fight them back!"

The orcs' ladders hit the side of the wall and they began to climb.

"Your fear can only stop you if you let it!" She cried. "Now push them back! Don't let them into _your _city!"

Huge boulders flew overhead from the siege engines and into the city. They were not aimed at the wall, but more at the upper levels of the city. Many of the boulders had been coated in oil and set on fire, causing the city to burn.

Buffy fought against the ones who had successfully made it over the wall. Far below, she could hear the orcs on the ground chanting something and then Gandalf's cry for the men to take down the trolls. Not having time to look she fought on, trusting that the old wizard would take care of the problem.

There were several loud booms and then the wall suddenly shuddered, almost driving her to her knees. She could hear yelling saying that the gate had been breached and that orcs were now filling the lower levels of the city. Thankful that she had talked Gandalf into evacuating all non-soldiers to the Citadel, she didn't have to worry about protecting civilians. She could just concentrate on taking down the enemy.

When she realized that the orcs forming around her were too much for them to take, she began ordering a retreat. The men, after seeing her prowess in battle the day before, quickly followed her lead and began making their way to the next level hoping to find some protection there.

-

To Harry it seemed as if they had been fighting for days rather than the few hours it had truly been. He was fighting next to Gandalf in the second level of the city. His sword arm was tired and he was covered in blood and gore.

Pippin's frantic voice cut through the clanging of metal. "Gandalf! It's Denethor! He's lost his mind! He's burning Faramir alive!"

Gandalf looked down at the hobbit in surprised horror. He made a move as if to go with Pippin, but Harry stopped him.

"I'll go, you're needed here."

The old wizard gave a quick nod and went back to the fighting. Harry and Pippin ran through the city and towards the Citadel where Denethor was planning the death of his son.

-

Dawn looked over to Aragorn. "The Rohirrim have made it to Minas Tirith. Draco says it looks like a bloodbath." Her body was tense with worry. She hated not being there with him. But at least she was able to pass word along to Aragorn so he wasn't walking blind into the battle.

"We will arrive in time Amaurëa ," Aragorn assured her.

But she didn't really hear him since she was too busy concentrating on Draco.

-

Draco and Éomer were among the first to crash into the waiting orc army. Using the momentum of the horses, they trampled the first few lines of orcs before pulling back slightly on the reins. Together, the two of them cut a wide path through the enemy. Every foe that the two came up against lay dead at their feet.

Risking a glance to the side, it was only then that Draco realized that he had somehow become separated from Ginny in the initial rush. He could see Spike cutting a path of his own with several other Rohirrim. The vampire mercilessly cut down any enemy that strayed into his path. He seemed to be an unstoppable force as he made his way through the enemy.

-

Ginny and Éowyn did their best to stay together as the Rohirrim worked their way to Minas Tirith. The redhead knew that she could probably make the fighting easier on herself if she only pulled out her wand. But the fear and shame of what she had done at Helm's Deep was still too close and it haunted her. So instead, she used her sword to kill the orcs.

-

Harry and Pippin broke into the room that Denethor had taken Faramir to. They saw the injured man laid upon a table with wood lying all around him. Denethor had just poured a container of oil over himself and was reaching for a lit torch when Harry yelled, "Stop! Are you stupid?" He absently rubbed his forehead as he continued. "Your people need you out there, not hiding in here like a coward."

Denethor laughed and uncovered an object that had been lying next to Faramir. As he held it up, Harry gasped as he recognized another palantír. Pain seared through his scar, but he ignored it. As Denethor looked into the orb with a deranged glee in his eyes, Harry recognized the color of light he had seen days before during his wanderings of the castle.

"Didst Mithrandir think that the eyes of the White Tower were blind? Nay, I have seen more than he knowest. For his hope is but ignorance. You may go forth and fight, but even now, a fleet of Corsair ships are heading towards us and with them our doom. The West has failed."

"That's not true," Harry said with a shake of his head. "That fleet of ships has people coming to help us."  
"You would like to believe so," Denethor snarled, grabbing a torch with his free hand.

"No! Aragorn has seized control of the ships with an army of his own."

"Bah!" The old man cried. "I know that Mithrandir seeks to supplant me with that Ranger from the North. I am Steward of the House of Anárion. I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart. Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes but of the line of Isildur. I will not bow to such a one, last of a ragged house long bereft of leadership and dignity."  
Then Denethor pressed the torch to his clothing and he went up in flame. He moved to the pyre that Faramir rested on to light it with his own body.

Harry pulled out his wand and yelled, "Impedimenta!" Denethor flew back away from his son. Harry racked his brain trying to remember an extinguishing spell, but by then it was too late. Denethor would die a slow painful death from his extensive burns that the fire had already inflicted.

"You may triumph on the fields of Pelennor for a day, but against the Power that has now arisen there is no victory!" Then old Steward clutched the palantír to him and he screamed in agony. When the fire completely consumed him and he fell silent.

Harry looked down at Pippin. "Make sure Faramir gets back to the House of Healing. He's still alive, hopefully they'll be able to save him. I've got to get back to the fighting."

-

Spike grinned maliciously as he saw the orcs breaking rank and fleeing. Perhaps winning this battle wasn't as much of a longshot as they had originally thought. He carried that brief glimmer of hope for a few minutes before the enemy unleashed its next horror. The blond vampire was only able to gape at the huge mammoth beasts that were now causing devastation.

They looked like elephants with riders, only they were five times larger than any elephant he had ever seen. Their four tusks were covered with spikes so that with every turn of their head they speared horses and men. Their large feet crushed even more. In the face of this new enemy, Spike's hopes slid away.

-

Dawn cried out and clutched her shoulder.

"Who is injured?" Aragorn asked.

"Draco," she gasped before suddenly relaxing as the link between her and Draco got severed. "The fighting is getting really bad. How much longer?"  
"Not much," he assured her. "We can hear the sounds of battle from here."

She nodded and drew in deep, calming breaths.

-

Buffy began to tire as she killed what seemed to be her hundredth orc of the day. Even her wounded side was beginning to ache slightly.

"Rest for a moment," came a familiar voice. Gandalf moved in front of her and prevented any orcs from getting near her.

She smiled up at him while she leaned against a nearby wall. "Thanks." Then she frowned. "Where's Harry?"

"Up in the Citadel," Gandalf answered.

"What's he doing there?"

"Saving Faramir, I hope," Gandalf said after slicing down another orc.

"I'm sure that'll make sense when this is over, so I'll let it pass." She moved up next to him and started fighting again.

"You could have rested longer," he said, noticing the tired look in her eyes.

"The more I kill now, the faster the battle goes," she said with a weary grin. "'Sides, got that whole slayer stamina thing goin' for me."

-

Ginny heard Éowyn cry out, "No!" She turned to see one of the beasts of the Nazgûl throw a horse and its rider. As it landed, she recognized Théoden's horse and banner.

Her and Éowyn had been separated when they were knocked off their horses. She had no idea where Merry was, but Éowyn was nearly twenty yards away. She could see her friend stepping between the Nazgûl and her uncle. Her sword was up and was ready to fight.

It wasn't the black robed Nazgûl that moved to attack her friend, but the winged beast. Knowing that she'd never make it to her in time, and deciding that the stain on her soul was already there, Ginny pulled out her wand and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light pierced the battlefield and struck the creature, causing it to fall lifelessly to the ground. She was already running towards them when the Nazgûl dismounted.

The steel masked Nazgûl towered over the Shieldmaiden of Rohan with a sword in one hand and a nasty looking mace in the other. Éowyn dodged swing after swing of the mace, until she tripped slightly and the mace shattered her shield and her arm.

Her cries of pain spurred Ginny into running faster over the battlefield. Barely noticing the orcs she cut down, she made her way to her friend.

The Nazgûl reached down and lifted Éowyn up by her throat. "You fool," came his rasping voice. Even with the mask inches from her own face, she couldn't see the creature inside. "No man can kill me. Die now."

Ginny finally reached them and ran her sword through its back with both hands. She let go of the sword and screamed out in agony as a chill settled into her hands and arms.

The Witch-King dropped Éowyn in surprise and she removed her helmet to reveal her long blonde hair. "I am no man," she said proudly. Then picking up her fallen sword, she shoved its point through the Nazgûl's head. Like Ginny, she dropped her sword as a crippling chill ran up her arm.

The Nazgûl squealed in pain and began to collapse in on itself. As it died, it released a shockwave of power that swept over the field. Streams of sunlight began punching holes in the cloud above.

-

As they pulled up to the dock at Osgiliath, Dawn could clearly hear the fighting. Hoping they weren't too late, she heard a voice from the dock. "Late as usual, pirate scum. There's knife work here that needs done. Come on now, get off your ship."

The orcs stood stunned as Aragorn and the other living beings leapt off the ship. As they moved towards the orcs, Gimli looked at Legolas. "There's plenty for the both of us, may the best dwarf win."

Dawn couldn't help but let out a giggle that relieved the tension in her stomach. The dead appeared behind them and rushed into the city and onto the field. The Rangers and what was left of the Fellowship ran with them and joined the fray. But the orcs could not stop the dead.

**It's about time,** Buffy said in her head.

**You know me,** Dawn glibly replied.** I like to be fashionably late. Mind if we crash the party?**

Dawn glibly replied. 

Buffy laughed **Crash away. **Then she pulled back to concentrate on fighting.

It didn't take the army of dead long to wipe out every living enemy from the field. By the time they were done, the cloud was completely gone, allowing the sun to bathe the world in its warm light. Dawn lifted her face heavenward, thankful they had won.

Hearing someone call her name, she turned to see Draco running towards her. He was covered in blood and a broken arrow shaft stuck out of his left shoulder. He held her close with his right arm and kissed her.

Their happy moment was shattered by Harry's mournful cry. They rushed over to see him cradling Ginny in his lap and they immediately thought the worst. Éowyn was lying next to Théoden who lay dead under his horse. To their relief, they saw both women's chest rise.

"I came out of the city to find you guys, but instead..." Harry gulped.

"Come on, we've got to get them to the doctor," Dawn said softly, her voice choked with tears.

Draco pulled out his wand and levitated Éowyn while Harry scooped Ginny up in his arms. They went towards the city and hopefully help for their fallen friends.


	34. Healing

Hey guys! Sorry this is a little late. I've had next to no free time to get this typed and sent to my beta. Thanks PuNKyCoWGiRL for a quick return! Next one will be up on Sunday. I promise. Life gets easier after Thursday.

****

Review Responses:

John, actually, I had already answered your question in this chapter. I hope the explanation clears things up.

Kyra2, things will start moving quickly as all my loose ends get wrapped up. Frodo and Sam will be found soon.

****

Chapter Thirty-Four

Healing

Faith smiled as she looked up at the sign over the British establishment in London. It was the closest thing to the Bronze that she could find in muggle London to carry out her plan. She had tried to convince Dumbledore into letting her take everyone to the Bronze or even someplace in L.A. where she was familiar with the territory. The headmaster, however, had insisted that she kept them on that side of the ocean.

She turned back to the students who were looking at her in confusion. "We're here," she said.

"This is your great plan?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "You want us to party? I don't see how this is going to help us find Frodo and Sam and get the others back home."  
The slayer rolled her eyes. She knew that Hermione, with her strict adherence to the rules, would be the hardest one to convince. It was the reason why she hadn't told any of them about where they were going until just then.

"You guys need a break. Research is all good and stuff, but if ya don't step back and relax every so often you'll go nuts. Even the Scoobies are coming here tonight. They had a few more things to take care of back at the castle, but they'll definitely be here later." She slipped an arm around Remus' waist. "Now let's go in there, forget about our problems, and just have some fun. Then tomorrow, I promise we can go back to studying those dusty old books and glowing dots on maps."

Seamus grinned. "Well alright. Let's do what the professor ordered." Then he led the other students inside.

"I just hope this works," Faith muttered to Remus as the kids filed passed them into the club.

"I'm sure it will," he assured her and they followed them in.

A few hours later, a flushed Hermione plopped in a seat next to Faith. With a grin, the Gryffindor said, "Thanks, Faith. This has been really great."

"Hey, I know that sometimes you just need to blow off steam," Faith said. "There's nothing wrong with taking the night off. See," she said, indicating Willow and Tara who were dancing close together. The two Wiccans seemed to be blissfully unaware of their surroundings as they only had eyes for each other.

Hermione giggled. "They aren't the only ones," she said, pointing at Neville and Blaise.

The shy Gryffindor wasn't holding the Slytherin as close as Willow was holding Tara, but you couldn't see any space between them.

"I think it's so cute," Hermione said.

"Here you go, 'Mione," Ron said, as he set a drink in front of his girlfriend. "Sorry it took so long. I thought the line was bloody going to go on forever. Where's Professor Lupin?"

"Probably pissin' Snape off," Faith said with a shrug.

Remus was twirling the vengeance demon around the floor while Snape glowered at them. They had all been surprised when the muggle dressed potions master had arrived with the Scoobies.

"You're not jealous?" Hermione asked.

"Nah. Demon-girl is too wrapped up in the potions man to try for mine. 'Sides, I think Remus is just doing it to mess with Snape. They have history you know."

Ron and Hermione both shuddered as they remembered the stories Harry had told them about Snape and the Marauders.

"May I have the pleasure of this dance?" Came a cool, deep voice from behind Faith.

She turned to see Snape holding a hand out. His eyes glittered with something dark and furious, causing Faith to smirk. She had a feeling he was playing his own game with Remus. "Why not?" She replied, taking his hand and following him out onto the dance floor.

"This should be fun," Ron snickered, watching how Remus and Snape glowered at each other over their respective dance partners' heads.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly, Ron. They're in the middle of a muggle club. They're not going to do anything to risk exposure."

Ron nodded in agreement and grabbed Hermione's hand to pull her onto the floor. He looked down at her with a huge smile on his face. "We did need a night out like this."

She grinned. "Yes, now let's stop talking about it and just enjoy it."

After Draco had his shoulder tended to, he and Dawn went into the room that they had placed Faramir, Éowyn, and Ginny. The healers didn't know how to help them and had placed them apart from the rest of the injured. Éomer sat quietly next to Éowyn's bedside. He was now King of Rohan since Théoden had perished on the battlefield. Éowyn was his only family left and he clung to her good hand like a lifeline. Her broken shield arm had been set and bandaged.

Harry sat next to Ginny with an anguished look on his face. She carried no visible wound, yet her sleep was deep and fevered like Faramir and Éowyn. Occasionally they would call out in grief causing everyone present to wince.

"Aragorn is their only hope now," Gandalf said from behind the two teens. They jumped slightly, not having heard the old wizard come up to them.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, her eyes returning to Ginny's pale face. "What can he do that the others can't?"

"He has no small skill in healing. Lord Elrond taught him much of what he knows."

"Then where is he? Shouldn't he be here helping?" Draco asked, his concern for his friends shining in his grey eyes.

"I'm here," Aragorn said softly, walking in.

"Where's Buffy and Spike?" Dawn asked.

"And Legolas and Gimli?" Draco added.

"They are tending to the city. They are well," he assured them. He moved to the three patients and briefly examined them.

As he finished, a young healer entered the room. Aragorn turned to her and asked, "Ioreth, you have in store in the House of the herbs of healing?"  
"Yes, lord," she answered. "But not enough, I reckon, for all that will need them. I am not sure where we will find more."

"Have you any athelas?" Aragorn asked.

"I do not know, at least not by that name. I will go and ask of the herb-master; he knows all the old names."

"It is also called kingsfoil," Aragorn supplied.

"Oh that," Ioreth said. "No, we have none of that. Why, I have never heard that it had any great virtue."

Aragorn held up a hand to still her speech. "Run and get me some kingsfoil if there is a leaf in the city." She left and he turned wearily back to the patients.

"First you must rest and eat a little," Éomer said, seeing how tired he was.

"Nay, for these three, and most soon for Faramir, time is running out. All speed is needed." Aragorn turned to Pippin who had been sitting quietly with Faramir. "I need several bowls of hot water. Can you fetch them please?" Pippin, happy to do something useful, nodded and left the room.

Aragorn turned his attention back to Faramir. "He is nearly spent, but this comes not from the wound. See, that is healing. He has fallen under the influence of the Black Breath. They all have."

"Black Breath? What's that?" Dawn asked from her position against the wall. Her and Draco tried to be as unobtrusive as possible so they wouldn't hinder their friends' treatment.

"Those who have been near the Nazgûl for too long, fall to it," Gandalf explained. "It causes despair, unconsciousness, and nightmares. And if they were too long exposed - death."

"And Éowyn and Ginny? They have only been here a day. How could they fall victim to it?" Draco asked.

"They slew the Witch-King, the leader of the Nazgûl," Gandalf said. "The hands that wielded their weapons gave the infection a place to enter, a direct line to their body and soul. And if any grief or weariness was present in their heart prior to the event, it can be doubled or even tripled."

Harry looked up at the others with red-rimmed eyes. "Faramir was plagued by his father. We've only been here for a few days and even I could see that. Nothing he did was good enough for Denethor."

At that time the herb-master entered. "Your lordship asked for kingsfoil, as the rustics name it, or athelas in the noble tongue, or to those who know somewhat of the Valinorean..."  
"I do so," Aragorn said a bit testily, he was in no mood to hear so called learned men prattle on. "I care not what you call it so long as you have some."

"Your pardon, lord," the man said with a slight bow. "We do not keep this thing in the House of Healing for it has no virtue that I know of. Unless, of course, you give heed to the rhymes of old which women such as Ioreth still repeat without understanding.

When the black breath blows,

and death's shadow grows

and all light's pass,

come athelas! Come athelas!

Life to the dying

In the king's hand lying.

"It is but a doggerel I fear, garbled in the memory of old wives. Its meaning I leave to your judgment, if indeed it has any. But old folks still use an infusion of the herb for headaches."

"Then in the name of the king, go and find some old man of less lore and more wisdom who keeps some in his house!" Gandalf cried, fighting a strong urge to roll his eyes. Their friends from the other dimension seemed to be rubbing off on him, he thought briefly.

The herbmster, looking a trifle offended, huffed out of the room and went in search of the plant.

"I bet chocolate would help," Draco said thoughtfully.

"Chocolate?" Dawn asked.

"The effects of the Nazgûl are similar to dementors."

Harry nodded in agreement. "It's not exactly the same, but the feeling of despair is. Remus gave us chocolate the first time we encountered one. Madame Pomfrey also gave it to us, made us feel better."  
"We didn't happen to bring any, did we?" Dawn asked hopefully. Both boys shook their heads. "Well then, we'll hope they find some kingsfoil... athelas... whatever."

They grew silent as Aragorn knelt next to Faramir. He placed his hand upon Faramir's brow and it seemed to the others in the room that he was struggling with something as he continually called out the young captain's name.

Ioreth returned, carrying six athelas leaves. "It's not fresh, I fear, but I hope it will serve."

Aragorn smiled at her. "It will." He took two leaves, laid them on his hand, and breathed on them. He crushed them in his worn hands and straightaway a living freshness filled the room, as if the air itself awoke and tingled. Pippin returned with three bowls of steaming water and Aragorn placed the crushed leaves into one of the bowls. He stood up as one refreshed and his eyes smiled as he held a bowl before Faramir's face.

Even Dawn and Draco relaxed and they felt better than they had in days.

Faramir stirred and opened his eyes. He looked up at Aragorn and his eyes registered the truth. "My lord you called me. I come. What does the king command?"  
"Walk no more in the shadows, but awake. You are weary. Rest a while and take food, and be ready when I return."  
"I will lord, for who would be idle when the king has returned?" Faramir said, his voice getting stronger with each spoken word.

Aragorn moved next to Éowyn. "She is a fair maiden, but I know not of the frost that has touched her. Her malady begins far back before this day, does it not, Éomer?"

"I know not," Éomer said in a strained voice.

Draco spoke up. "She wanted to fight. She has the spirit and the ability to help defend her people, yet no one would let her. She was forced to stay home and watch Grima suck the life out of Théoden."

"Well spoken," Gandalf murmured.

The future king of Gondor sighed. "I have, maybe, the power to heal her body and to recall her from the dark valley. But to what she will awake - hope, forgetfulness, or despair, I do not know. And if to despair, then she will die, unless other healing comes which I cannot bring." Then he bent and softly kissed her brow, calling her name. "Éowyn. Éomund's daughter, awake! For your enemy has passed away."

Aragorn repeated the process with the athelas and washed her brow and right arm with the sweet smelling water. He called to her again, and though she stirred slightly, she did not wake. He turned to Éomer and said, "Call her."

"Éowyn, Éowyn," he cried amid his tears. The new king of Rohan feared she'd never awake.

She slowly opened her eyes and focused on her brother. "Éomer. What joy is this? For they said that you were slain. Nay, but that was only the dark voices in my dreams. How long have I been dreaming?"

"Not long, my sister," Éomer said, his smile brightening the room. "But think no more on it."

Éowyn looked over to Aragorn who smiled softly at her. Then he moved to Ginny's bedside.

"Fear not, Master Harry," Aragorn said. "Her will is strong, she will return to you."

"But I don't know what grief filled her," Harry said, his tears leaving clean tracks on his dirty face.

"I do," Draco said, walking over to the bed. "She committed an act during Helm's Deep and then again today, I think. It's left her feeling dirty and ashamed. She doesn't think she's worthy of you, that you will turn away from her when you learn the truth."  
"But she could tell you?" Harry sneered slightly through his pain.

Draco sighed. "She told me because instinctively she knew I'd understand. Harry, she used the killing curse... twice. I'm pretty sure I saw the light during the battle."

Gandalf and Aragorn looked at Dawn. "The killing curse?" The old wizard asked, curiosity coloring his voice.

"In our wizarding world there are three unforgivable curses, that one doing exactly what it says. No one can survive it. It requires a lot of hate and anger to perform it. It's the darkest magic."

Aragorn looked at her in confusion. "Lady Ginny always seemed to have the lighter heart."

"Which is why it's upsetting her," Draco said. "I know she used it on am orc to save another's life, but that doesn't help the dirtiness on your soul go away. Nothing can make it go away," he concluded sadly.

"You speak as if from experience," Aragorn noted.

"My father was raising me to follow an evil wizard. He made sure I learned how to use all the Unforgiveables. I know how she felt."

Aragorn nodded and turned to Harry. "Let Draco take your place by her side. When she is fully awake, then you may sit next to her."  
"But..." Harry protested.

"No. Through no fault of your own, you are part of the cause of her despair," Aragorn gently explained. "Let her overcome the nightmares before allowing her to see you."  
Unhappily, Harry moved and allowed Draco to take his place.

Aragorn repeated the process with the leaves once more, only this time he bathed both of Ginny's arms. She breathed deeply and he nodded to Draco.

The blond leaned close and called out, "Ginny! Ginny Weasley! It's time to wake up. We're all here waiting for you."  
Her brown eyes blinked open and she smiled softly up at Draco. "Did we win?"

Draco chuckled. "Yeah, we won. There are a few people here who'd like to see you."  
She looked behind him to see Harry standing there nervously. Her smile faltered slightly. "Harry, can you ever forgive me?"  
Draco moved so Harry could return to her side.

"You've done nothing that needs forgiving," Harry said, taking her hands into his own.

"But I..."

"He told us. It's nothing to be ashamed of." He bent over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I still love you."  
Tears glistened in her eyes as she said, "I love you, too."  
"Geez you two, get a room," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes, causing Ginny to laugh and forget her tears.

"Did we all make it?" The redhead asked.

"Everyone but Théoden, it was too late. But hey, sun is shining again. You and Éowyn did that."  
Ginny and Éowyn looked at each other and smiled. "Not too bad for a couple of girls," Ginny said.

"Not bad at all," Éowyn agreed.


	35. Solutions?

Hello all. Sorry it took so long to post, but real life was more of an interference than I thought. Good news is, I had all week off and got ahead on the writing of this fic. I'm actually almost done, so the next chapter will be up next week.

Review Responses:

btm452, John, melodieeidolem, harmoni, Thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

****

Chapter Thirty-Five

Solutions?

"Any luck yet?" Dawn asked once Willow had adjusted to the shift in her surroundings.

"Not yet," the redhead said. "Ron is trying to come up with a faster search method."

Dawn looked incredulously at her. "Ron? Coming up with an idea?"

Willow shrugged. "He keeps saying he's missing something. He wants Ginny home."

"Yeah, about that," Dawn said slowly. "Umm, there's a problem."

"What happened?" Willow asked worriedly.

"There was a battle and let me tell you, we kicked Sauron's big-bad ass," Dawn said. "He's not dead yet, but things are looking slightly up, sort of."

"And..." Willow prompted.

"Draco got hurt - shot with an arrow - but he's fine now."

"What about Ginny?" Willow asked in exasperation.

"Ginny and Éowyn, one of our friends here, the two of them went up against something like a dementor. They're ok, but Aragorn said they had to stay in bed and rest for ten days."

Willow's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Dawn shrugged. "I don't know. The thing was kind of like a big bad, sort of the big bad's head minion - could think for himself and had lots of power - you know what I mean?" Willow nodded and Dawn continued. "Something about being in his presence for too long can actually kill you. When Ginny and Éowyn struck him down with their swords, it sort of gave evil a direct contact thing. Both of them nearly died."

"But they're ok now?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, they just can't go anywhere for a while."

Willow sighed. "Alright, I'll tell Ron."

"No, no, no. Ron will freak. It's not like he can do anything about it now. Just don't tell him"

"Dawn, if he finds out that I knew and didn't tell him, he's going to be even more upset."

"Fine, tell him. But please stress the fact that she's ok," Dawn said.

"So is everyone back together?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, but I've got to go. We're getting ready to meet and decide what to do next. I'll talk to you guys soon. We miss you."

"Miss you, too," Willow said with a sad smile.

Hermione smiled in contentment as Lavender brushed her hair. Padma, Blaise, and Faith were also gathered in Hermione's living area. Once they had seen the benefits of taking Faith's order to relax, Lavender had taken it upon herself to make sure that the girls didn't get too run down with the research and she had suggested a sleepover.

At first, Hermione had offered her room so that they wouldn't disturb anybody else's sleep. It seemed the most logical and practical solution. But now that they were all there and giggling, she was glad on a personal, emotional level. Ginny and Dawn were her only two real female friends, and they had been gone for nearly two months. She discovered that she missed having girl talk.

"Has Neville kissed you, yet?" Padma asked Blaise.

The blonde looked up from where she was painting Padma's toenails. "A lady never kisses and tells."

"Oh, come on," Lavender said. "I shared my stories about kissing Wayne."

"Yes, because that came as such a shock," Padma said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like none of us have seen you kissing in the hallways. That's not news."

Blaise bent back over Padma's feet and mumbled something so low that even Faith barely caught it. The slayer grinned. "I wouldn't take it personally, Blaise."

"What did she say?" Hermione asked.

"Neville hasn't kissed her yet."

"He hasn't?" Lavender asked in surprise. "But the two of you never go anywhere without each other. He's always carrying your books, holding chairs and doors for you. How could he have not kissed you yet?"  
"I don't know," Blaise said a little sadly. "Maybe he's just being nice."

"No, he's just shy," Hermione pointed out. "You're his first real girlfriend. He's doing all of the good manners because that's what his grandma taught him, but he doesn't know how to initiate the other stuff." She giggled. "Really, who would want to learn about kissing from their grandma."

"I'll tell you what to do," Faith said. "Next time you're alone, just grab him and kiss 'im. That'll knock his socks off."

Blaise looked at the dark haired slayer with a horrified expression on her face. "I can't do that! What if he doesn't like me in that way!"

"Then he doesn't like you. But I don't see him holding doors or carrying books for anyone else."

"So is that how you got Professor Lupin?" Lavender asked with a mischievous grin.

"Wha?"

"Did you just grab him and kiss him?"

"No, he kissed me first. And you guys shouldn't be asking a professor about this kind of stuff."

"You're more like one of us than the other professors," Lavender pointed out.

"Yeah," Padma agreed. "Besides, tonight you're here as one of the girls, so kiss and tell."

The girls marveled at Faith's sudden change in demeanor. She went from the confident, headstrong slayer to an almost bashful, uncertain woman. "I've never met anyone like Wolfboy before," she said softly, taking a sudden interest in her hands. "He doesn't care about my past, he just cares about who I am now and who I want to be in the future. I didn't think I'd ever find someone like that."

"Ahhh, that is so sweet," Lavender gushed.

"He's such a wonderful guy," Padma said.

The next thing Faith knew, she was enveloped in a huge group hug - all four girls surrounded her. She held back the tears as she accepted the touches from her girls. She had never felt so accepted in her life and hoped that it would never come to an end.

"You are so lucky," Padma said.  
"Definitely," Blaise agreed.

"And if he hurts you, we'll kick his bum," Hermione added firmly.

Ron smiled around the big piece of candy he had in his mouth. What had started off that evening as an annoyance had turned into a pleasant distraction from his thoughts of his sister. Seamus had noticed that while everyone seemed much more relaxed after their evening in London, Ron was the only one who was still frustrated over their lack of progress. So Seamus had dragged Wayne up to the room that the two teens shared with Neville in hopes that they could lighten Ron's heart.

Poor Neville's face was redder than Ron had ever seen it. It seemed that everyone had noticed how close he had been getting to Blaise and were surprised that he hadn't kissed her yet.

"I'm tellin' ya mate, the girl bloody wants ya. Just reach out and take her," Seamus said.

"I'm, I'm not sure," Neville stammered. "What if I'm not that good?"

"If she likes ya, it won't bloody matter."

Wayne nodded. "Lavender was just telling me that she knows Blaise likes you. Go on, kiss her."

"I'll think about it," Neville said. Then in an effort to change topics, he turned to Ron. "What's it like?"

"To kiss a girl?" Ron sputtered.

"No!" Neville protested, his face going even redder in embarrassment. "To do magic other than what we were born with."  
Ron squirmed. He wasn't used to people giving him so much attention, but ever since Harry had left and they began their search for the ring, people seemed to turn to him more and more. He was beginning to understand why Harry hated it, but he couldn't fault his friends for being curious. "It's unlike anything you guys have ever experienced," he said.

"I hear you're pretty good at it," Wayne said.

The redhead nodded. "I'm almost as good as Willow and Tara anymore."  
"Then why do you practice all the time?"

"Because it's like our magic," Ron said, smacking Wayne slightly on the back of his head. "If you don't practice, you forget. And this magic can leak out at bad times and hurt someone if I'm not careful. Plus, practicing keeps me grounded so I don't go evil like Willow did. To help remind me of what my boundaries are as a person."

"So what's the coolest thing you've ever done?" Seamus asked.

"It's been a while since I've done this, but they taught me how to use the magic to search my surroundings."

"What do you mean?"  
"Well, everything on Earth is connected by magic whether we can see or feel it, or not. Most muggles aren't even aware that it's there. Some of them can sense the connection, but don't always understand it. They taught me how to follow... that connection... to search... Merlin! That's it! You guys are geniuses!"

"Uh, Ron, ya alright there mate?" Seamus asked as he exchanged confused glances with the others.

"I'm more than alright! I know how to find Frodo and Sam." Then he leapt off the bed and ran out the door.

The other three boys just shrugged and began fighting over the last piece of candy.

"So what's next?" Dawn asked as she leaned back in her chair. It was the day after the battle on the fields below Minas Tirith and they were now all gathered in the throne room.

Aragorn was probably at least as weary as he looked, she thought. She knew he had not ceased in his efforts to help as many people in the House of Healing as he could. The man was continually pushing himself beyond the limits of any normal man and even Buffy would be hard pressed to keep up with him at times. The people of the city viewed him as their kind now despite the fact that he hadn't been crowned yet. But Aragorn refused the position for the moment and followed Gandalf's advice and leadership until the crisis was over. Not that he wasn't doing a good job himself, she thought.

Éomer sat beside Aragorn and it was the first time she had seen the new king of Rohan outside of the House of Healing. He had not left his sister's side since they had arrived. He had placed Spike and Draco in charge of his men who were currently camped out on the fields in front of the city. It wasn't that the men weren't welcome in the city, for in truth the people of Minas Tirith would have welcomed them with open arms. But the men of the plains felt stifled in the city and there was no place for all of the horses. So out of practicality they stayed on the field in tents.

Although currently both Spike and Draco were attending the meeting. They had even drug Harry away from Ginny for a brief while so the girl could rest. Gimli and Legolas sat next to each other while Elladan and Elrohir looked on in wonder. They had never seen an elf and a dwarf get along so easily before and they marveled at the unlikely pair's easy friendship. Even Merry and Pippin were present. Although they seemed to be more concerned with filling their bellies with food that had been brought in than discussing the next step.  
"I don't think we've seen all of Sauron's army," Harry said softly.

"How many more orcs can he have?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Well, I don't know for sure," Harry replied. "But it's just something Denethor said as he died - You may triumph over the fields of Pelennor today, but against the power that has now arisen there is no victory."

Buffy ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "I think the big bad has something up his sleeve. Granted, that wasn't the easiest of victories, and we probably would have lost if it hadn't been for Éowyn and Ginny slaying the Nascar lord and Aragorn's timely arrival. But I think there's something more."

"But his power is weakening," Gandalf said. "I can feel it. The loss of the Ring from this dimension has weakened his power. You saw how before the battle even began that his control over the elements was slipping."  
"What are you saying?" Buffy asked. "That we ride out and meet him? Are you nuts?"

"It would be suicide," Aragorn agreed.

"The men need rest," Éomer said. "They've been fighting an endless battle and have been on the move for too long."  
"And yet," Gimli said, "while we gather our strength, the enemy can be gathering theirs."

"The orcs in Mordor have yet to see battle," Elladan said. "They are already rested. It would be wise to wait before making another move."

Spike nodded. "At most, attacking them in Mordor would be a distraction for a real plan. One, I might add, that we don't have. Our real goal is to destroy the stupid ring, which we don't have."

"He's got a point. I'm all for striking out against the enemy before they strike at us first," Buffy said. "But the men need to rest first. I think we should wait a few days before we decide what to do. Maybe we can think of something better than a hasty put together plan in that time."

"And who knows," Dawn said with a shrug, "maybe by then Willow will have found Frodo and the ring, and we will have a reason for a distraction."

Aragorn shared a long look with Gandalf. The old wizard grimly bowed his head and the king of Gondor sighed. "Very well. Let's tend to the people for now. Later we may choose our best course of action."


	36. Finding and Preparing

Ok, totally sorry for taking two weeks again. My beta has been really busy and it took her a while to do the proofing. But, the good news is, the next chapter has been written, typed, and betad so it will be up on Sunday.

Review Responses:

John, I figured most of my male readers eyes would glaze over slightly during the girl sleepover thing, so no biggie. It's why I included the boy counterpart. I hope it seemed somewhat realistic seeing as how I'm not a guy, but I kind of took it from the POA movie. It was one of the few scenes that I thought they had done really well.

Harmoni, (sniff) gonna miss your reviews until you get your internet back. (sniff)

Kyra2, yup, things are about to move really quickly as everything starts to come together. Only a few more chapters to go...

Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

A special huge thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL, for doing this even though she's busy!

****

Chapter Thirty-Six

Finding and Preparing

Willow was in the soft haze just before falling asleep when there came a pounding on her and Tara's door. She mumbled into Tara's hair and snuggled further down into her covers. The knocking, however, didn't stop and soon a voice was added to it. "Willow! Tara!" Came Ron's excited voice. "I know how to find them! Open up!"

With a long sigh, Willow untangled herself from Tara and stumbled over to the door. "This had better be good, Ron," she said as she rubbed her eyes.

"I know how to find Frodo and the ring."

Willow's sleepiness fled as the reality of Ron's words hit her. "Hold on, let me wake up Tara. Come on in."

He followed her into the witches' room to see Tara sitting up in bed blinking the sleep out of her eyes. He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curling up as he took in the normally neat-looking woman's disheveled appearance.

"What's wrong?"

"Ron says he knows how to find Frodo and Sam," Willow said softly.

"Oh," Tara replied sleepily. Then her eyes popped open. "Oh."

"What's the plan?" Willow asked, sitting back down on the bed. She gestured for Ron to join them, but he began pacing.

"Remember that exercise from a few months ago when I stretched my magic out to search my surroundings?"

"Yeah, 'cause everything is connected," Willow said, her tired brain not seeing where he was going.

"Right! Because everything is connected, including us to Frodo and Sam - wherever they might be!"

"But Ron, none of us are powerful enough to do that on our own," Willow reminded him.

"We could do it together."

"It's never been done before."

"That doesn't mean we can't. We pull our magic from ourselves and our surroundings. Who's to say we can't pull from each other?" Ron said, excitement in his voice.

"My god, Willow, he's right," Tara said, finally coming completely awake. "The three of us together should easily be able to find them."

Willow grinned as she got excited. "We could, couldn't we?"  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ron asked.

After grabbing the map off her desk, Willow motioned for all of them to sit on the floor. They formed a little circle around the map.

"Who wants to do the actual searching?" Willow asked.

"One of you two should," Ron said. "I don't exactly know what I'm looking for."

Willow shifted nervously. "Tara, you had better do it. Remember what happened the last time I got too close to the ring?"

Tara nodded and the three joined hands. Their breathing and heart rates slowed until they seemed to breathe and beat as one. As all sorts of power flooded through Tara, she reached out to find Frodo and Sam's. Her spirit soared across the world toward, what she hoped, was the hobbits beaconing auras. And soon their familiar presence filled her senses.

As she used her mind's eye, she looked at their surroundings. Three pairs of eyes opened as one and they all cried, "Sunnydale?"

****

XXXXXXXXX

Tara wobbled slightly on her legs as she adjusted from the portkey's stop in Sunnydale. She smiled up at Clem's familiar crypt and knocked on the door.

The friendly demon was soon at the door and he smiled when he saw her. "Hey Tara! I was beginning to worry about you guys. I sent a letter to Buffy last week, but the owl just returned with the letter. I was just getting ready to write one to Willow, but here you are!"

"Let me guess, the letter is about two hobbits named Frodo and Sam?"  
"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"We've been looking for them. If we had thought a little more about it, we should have known they'd get pulled here," Tara said, as she followed him inside. She waved at the two hobbits who were sitting on the old couch eating chips. "Hi!"

"Tara!" They cried in excitement, and they ran over to her.

She hugged them tightly. "We've been looking for you for almost two months now."

"How did you know we were in this dimension?" Frodo asked.

"Galadriel sent word."  
"What about our friends?"  
"They're fine," she assured them. Then she briefly explained the events of the past two months. "But we need to get you to Hogwarts. It's no longer safe for you here." She looked over to Clem. "You want to come with us?"

"Sure, why not?"

Tara pulled out a rumpled piece of paper. "Everybody grab hold of this and we'll soon be at Hogwarts."

"How is that piece of parchment going to get us there?" Sam asked.

"Magic," Tara said with a twinkle in her eyes.

The two hobbits reached out, and once all four were holding on to the paper, there was a tug behind their navel and the world around them swam.

****

XXXXXXXXXXX

Albus entered his office where several professors and the Scooby gang were waiting. "How are our three guests adjusting?" He asked as he sat down.

"Quite well," Giles said, fiddling with his glasses. "Clem seems to be able to adjust to any environment. The hobbits are amazed by the magic that fills the castle, but technology wise this place is similar to their own dimension. So they are comfortable."

Xander grinned. "It helps that the house elves are feeding them constantly. The only other people I've seen eat that much are me and Faith." The dark haired slayer smacked him on the arm. "Ow, just kidding."

"I know Xan-man," she said, grinning back at him. "I couldn't let it go unpunished, though. So what's the stitch, Al? I know you didn't ask all of us in here to talk about the hobbits and their eating habits."

"I have received word from Miss Zabini's parents." Everyone straightened in their seats at the announcement. "Voldemort has grown frustrated in his search for the ring. He now believes that Harry and I have somehow foiled his plans and are now safeguarding the ring."

"Well that isn't too far from the truth," Wesley grimly said.

Albus sighed. "He is planning another attack on the school."

"And that worked so well the first two times," Snape said with a snort.

"No one said that evil was bright," Anya pointed out. "They're just ambitious."

"Do they know when he plans on attacking?" Giles asked.

"On the twenty-eighth."

"That's only four days away," Willow said. "That's not a lot of warning."

"At least we're getting a warning," Tara said, gently squeezing Willow's hand.

"Is he aware that Harry is no longer in this dimension?" Wesley asked.

Albus allowed a brief smile to cross his face. "Thankfully no. Nor does he know about the other missing students and professors. It seems we have eliminated all of the spies from within the castle."

"But they know we have the ring," Xander pointed out.

Remus shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Harry and Dumbledore have been consistently thwarting his plans over the past seven years. He could just be assuming."

Faith grinned. "And you know what that makes?"

"Faith, please," Giles said, pinching the bridge of his nose, but his eyes held a bit of a twinkle of merriment.

"Do we know what he's attacking with?" Faith asked, bringing her mind back to the business at hand.

"Several trolls and demons who are loyal to him, and of course, his deatheaters," Albus told her. "I believe this to be his last effort and he will go all out."

"Oh dear," McGonagall said. "Thank goodness Harry won't be here for this."

"We need to tell the kids," Faith said.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Whatever for?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "They aren't stupid, Min. They're going to see us making preparations and know something is up. Since most of the students are gone for Christmas, we can't exactly hide what we're doing. And what's worse is that they'll be more upset that we didn't trust them enough to tell them. These kids are ready. What are you laughing at Al?"

"I seem to recall a similar conversation from nearly a year ago, only it was Buffy and Spike arguing on behalf of the students."

"She has a point," Xander said. "These kids aren't innocent anymore."

"Not to mention all of the training they've received," Willow added. "They won't be walking into this blind."

McGonagall sighed and looked at Snape. "Are you not going to argue?"

"Amazingly enough, no," Snape answered. With an eye roll of his own, he said, "And I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but I do trust the students. They also have a right. This is their future we're talking about preserving."

Anya grinned and hugged him. "That's my Sevie. Way to be supportive." To the surprise of the others, the man just smiled fondly at the blonde demon.

"Let's get with the kids and make with the planning," Faith said.

****

XXXXXXXXXX

"What in the bloody hell?" Ron muttered, tripping backwards over his own two feet as he stared at the trees around him. A familiar laugh floated from behind him and he looked up to see Dawn standing over him.

"Hey Ron, whatcha doing on the ground?" She asked, offering a hand up.

"Warn me next time before you do that," he said. "I almost broke my ass."

"You're lucky Hermione or Ginny weren't here to hear you say that."

He smiled good naturedly at her and shrugged. "If I didn't, what else would they have to complain about? How's Ginny?" He asked, suddenly turning serious.

"She's fine, she's awake. There's not a scratch on her, I swear."

"Alright. Willow didn't say..."

"I don't have a lot of time. I was just stopping in to wish you guys a Merry Christmas, but how come I couldn't find Willow and Tara?" Dawn asked.

"We're in a strategy meeting. I guess I fell asleep," he said, running a hand through his red hair. "Voldemort's going to attack the school in three days."  
"What? Again? Is he really that stupid?"

"Apparently. But we found the ring..."

"What?" Dawn screeched. "You found the ring! You couldn't have said that straightaway? Like, hello Dawn, nice to see you. Hey we found the ring, ready to come back home? No, you couldn't have said that..."

Ron clamped a hand over her mouth. "You didn't give me a chance. 'Sides, I figured my sister was more important."

She glared at him over his hand.

"Eeeewww!" Pulling his hand back and wiping it on his shirt. "That was gross!"

"Shouldn't have put it over my mouth in the first place," she retorted. Calming herself, she asked, "So you have the ring and Voldemort is about to attack?" Ron nodded. "Alright, it'll take some time to round everyone up. Meet you in the Scooby common room in let's say... an hour your time?"

"Really? You're coming home?"

"Kinda gotta. Make sure you tell the others when you wake up. Oh, and Ron... Wake up!"

Ron suddenly bolted up in his chair and looked around. The Scoobies gave him strange looks and he smiled. "Merry Christmas! They're coming home."

****

XXXXXXXXXX

The Scooby common room was filled with anxious faces as they waited the portal that would return their friends and family. The hour had already passed and they were beginning to fidget.

"Thank god," Xander breathed as a shimmering light formed at one end of the room.

People that the Scoobies recognized from their own visit to Middle Earth stepped out, along with several strangers, before the ones they had been waiting for. Once everyone was through, Dawn closed the portal and they found themselves enveloped in hugs. Frodo and Sam were besides themselves with glee when they recognized Gandalf. Up until then, they still believed that he was dead.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked frantically. "Where's my sister?"

"She's still resting," Harry said. "She wasn't well enough to travel."

"She could've gotten better here!" Ron exclaimed.

Aragorn stepped over to Ron. "Lady Ginny was at death's door only two days ago. I feared that in her weakened state, that traveling through the portal would do more harm than good. I assure you that she is safe in Minas Tirith."

"How would you know?" Ron asked hotly. He turned to Buffy. "How would he know?"

"He's the king of Gondor. Minas Tirith is kind of like the capitol city," Buffy said with a small smile.

Ron turned slightly pink. "Oh, king. What do you know about healing people?"

"My father taught me. He is most skilled," Aragorn answered, slightly amused at how protective Ron was of his sister.

"Oh, maybe you know something then. Sorry," Ron said, still a little put out that his sister didn't return with the others.

"There is no need to apologize. It is quite obvious that care a great deal for your sister."

After a quick round of introductions, everyone sat down. Aragorn and Gandalf hadn't been the only ones to come through the portal with them. The rest of the fellowship along with Éomer, Elladan, and Elrohir had come also, although the elf twins had come more to see another dimension rather than to join the war talk. They wandered around the room studying various objects while the others talked.

Buffy and Spike briefly outlined what had happened in Middle Earth over the past month. Then Giles filled them in on the search for the ring and Voldemort's plans.

"He'll be here in three days," Giles concluded.

"Doesn't give us much time," Buffy said. "We'll need to tell Angel and the others. They can floo here instead of the long way."

"I'll send of letter to Soul-boy," Faith said.

Buffy flashed her a brief grin of thanks.

"Then all is left for us to return the ring to Middle Earth," Gandalf said. "Then find a way to destroy it."  
"Just like that?" Snape asked. "I doubt it will be that simple."

"No, Master Snape, it will not," Gandalf said in a grave tone. "For the path to Mount Doom is now covered with more than ten thousand orcs. We have too few men to fight them, we'll have to find another way."

Spike spoke up. "The number of warriors they have would be more useful as a distraction rather than a strike force."

**Too bad we couldn't open a portal or apparate right there. **Draco told Dawn.

She sharply turned and looked at him. **Can you apparate more than one person at a time?**

It's possible.

She sent a brief thought to Buffy who turned and smiled at her. **That could work. **"A diversion is all we need," she told the others.

Everyone turned and stared at the slayer in disbelief.

"All we need is a diversion. After that, we can get Frodo to Mount Doom. We just need to make sure that Sauron isn't watching and that he'd pulled his army away," Buffy said.

"But with so few men, will it be a sufficient distraction?" Éomer asked.

"Should be," Dawn said with a grin. "When I send you back, I'll make sure I make a lot of 'magic noise'. You guys mount up an army and march to Mordor. We'll stay here and finish off Voldemort. By the time we finish here, you should be at the Black Gates of Mordor. Sauron will have to answer your challenge - if only to get to the key. We show up at the last minute with several hundred wizards at our back. Piece of cake."

"Wizards?" Aragorn and Giles asked at the same time.

"Of course," Spike said with a smirk, seeing where the plan was heading. "We haul our crew, including the aurors, to Middle Earth and kick some orc ass. They'll never see it comin'."

Elrohir chuckled. "Amaurëa's plan has merit. Sauron would not be able to resist getting control of the key's power."

"But how would Master Frodo get to Mount Doom?" Sam asked.

"Wizards can transport themselves instantaneously by something called apparating. They can carry someone with them. After we're sure Sauron is distracted, someone pops over to Mount Doom, destroys the ring, and pop back," Dawn replied with shrug.

"If it's that easy, why not do that right away?" Legolas asked.

"Because he might have orcs guarding the mountain," Éomer said, catching on. "With the enemy engaged and Sauron's eye watching, they will never know until it is too late."

"Certainty of death. Small chance of success... What are we waiting for?" Gimli asked around his pipe.

Faith laughed. "Let's kick some orc ass."

The meeting lasted a little longer while they fleshed out the smaller details. Before Dawn opened the portal to send the others back, Ron handed Aragorn a handful of chocolate bars.

"Madam Pomfrey believes this will help them get better faster. It's called chocolate."

Aragorn smiled. "I'll make sure they all eat." Seeing the concern written across Ron's face, he placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "Do not fear, Master Ron. We will return your sister to you. In fact, she is safer than us at the moment."

Dawn made sure she put a lot of energy into the portal so that Sauron was sure to hear and locate her. The hobbits chose to remain at Hogwarts to protect the ring for as long as possible. The dimensional separation had weakened both Sauron and the ring. They reasoned that the weaker the enemy, the easier it would be to defeat him.

As the last of the people went through the portal, Dawn sent out on last push of magic before closing the portal. She dropped Buffy and Draco's hands and looked at the others. "It's Christmas Day, where are my presents?"


	37. Hogwarts

Ok, next chapter has been written, typed, and betaed so it will be up next Sunday.

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Review Responses:

John, Kyra2, thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore permitted himself a soft sigh as he entered the Great Hall. He truly hoped that they found a way to end the war that day, because he was honestly getting too old for it.

"Is everyone in place?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes. Now all that's left is waiting for Voldemort to arrive."

"I don't like this," she said. "We could have put up more wards to prevent them from entering the castle."

"It would only prolong the inevitable," he said. "We're just fortunate that he chose to attack when most of the students had gone home for the holiday. Otherwise this could be much worse that what it will be."

She could only nod in agreement as the doors to the Great Hall slammed open and deatheaters began streaming through. With a stern look on her face, she raised her wand and began fighting.

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At the sound of curses and hexes being thrown, Willow and Tara stepped out from a side door in the Great Hall surprising the deatheaters nearest them. They quickly incapacitated them before having to worry about defending themselves. Tara barely managed to dodge a killing curse and she shakily whispered, "Oh that was close." Then she turned her attention back to the fighting at hand.

Fred and George Weasley stepped out at the same time as Willow and Tara, only on the other side of the room, helping to create confusion. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the redheaded twins couldn't help but grin at each other.

"Great fun, should have done this years ago."

"Wonder what was stopping us."

"Mum."

"Oh yeah, silly woman," George said with a chuckle while he tackled a deatheater whose back was turned.

"Oy, mate! You're supposed to use your wand!" Fred called out.

"But it's not as much fun."

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The deatheaters were surprised that the school wasn't as empty as they thought and moved to leave the Great Hall - only to be stopped by Snape and Sirius who stood in the doorway.

"Severus," said one from behind his mask. "You've betrayed our Master."

"He never was my master," Snape sneered, raising his wand, but the other deatheater beat him to it. The next thing he knew, Sirius had pushed him out of the way and took the full brunt of the cruciatus curse.

"Sweet Merlin," Sirius gasped.

"You stupid mutt," Snape yelled. "What did you do that for?" He asked after releasing the curse.

Sirius shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh, behind you."

Snape turned and threw a hex at a deatheater that was coming up behind them. "Stupid mutt," Snape muttered. "Don't think that this will make me like you."

"Never said it would," Sirius glibly replied, throwing a few hexes of his own.

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"Oh goody," Faith said from her position outside of the castle. "My turn to play." A huge troll came lumbering out of the dark forest. They had let the wizards pass by them to lure them into a false sense of security. Most of the wizards were stationed inside to deal with the deatheaters while everyone else was outside to take care of the demons.

Remus grinned at her. "Should we tell him that he's not invited?"

"I don't know. Thought you said trolls were dumb."

"They are."

"Then we'd better show them," she said, pulling out her crossbow. She fired several shots into its head before it finally fell to the ground. "That was disappointing. I was hoping for more of a challenge."

"How about that one?" Remus asked, pointing to another troll making its way out of the forest.

She just grinned at him before leaping out of their hiding place.

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On another part of the grounds, Buffy and Spike stepped out to confront the demons that were trying to enter the castle from their side. "Just like old times," she said as she ducked a swing before slamming her dagger into a demon's chest.

"Weren't we just doing this in Middle Earth?"  
"Yeah, but those were orcs. These are just your run of the mill demons."

Spike laughed as he broke a demon's neck.  
"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Never thought there'd come a day when you'd actually miss fighting demons."

Buffy let out a dramatic sigh as she kicked another demon.

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Draco heard Dawn's voice in his head telling him to drop. He quickly did so and the demon that had been sneaking up behind him burst into flames. "Thanks," he said.

"I'd hate to lose you now," she said with a grin.

"Would you miss me?"

"Always," she said before being knocked over. The pressure on her back was quickly gone as Draco pulled the scaly demon off of her and threw it across the field.

"Thanks."  
"Nobody touches my girl," he said, helping her up.

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"I can't believe it," Wayne grumbled. "There's a huge battle with demons and deatheaters out there and what are we stuck with? Guarding four hobbits. Even Neville got to fight."

"Somebody had to protect the hobbits," Lavender reminded him. "They can't do magic and they can't fight against it."

"Doesn't mean we have to like it," Seamus said.

"Think of it this way - if they didn't trust us, we wouldn't have been the ones chosen to protect them," Padma pointed out. "They didn't have to let us help in the first place."

"That's besides the bloody..." Wayne began, but he stopped when he heard voices down the hallway. The four teens pulled themselves into an alcove and listened.

"Do you think the ring is in one of these rooms?" They heard a male's voice ask.

"I don't know, but Lord Voldemort believes it is here somewhere," said a woman.

Inside the alcove, the four teens exchanged silent looks and as one they stepped out into the hallway to face ten deatheaters. Without hesitating, Wayne and Seamus charged the evil wizards taking them completely by surprise. The girls stayed back and hurled hexes and curses. Wayne and Seamus created confusion by throwing punches and kicks. The poor deatheaters didn't know where to turn and before long all ten of them laid unconscious on the floor.

Lavender grinned. "See, they left us here and in charge for a reason."

Frodo stuck his head out of a door. "What happened?"  
"Just some wandering bad guys. We took care of it." Padma said.

They began stripping the deatheaters of their wands and dragging them into an empty room.

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"Ouch!" Charlie Weasley cried out in pain. He clutched his arm and blood seeped out between his fingers.

Bill quickly set the demon that had attacked his brother on fire. "You alright there, Charlie?"

"I've had worse," the younger brother said as he placed a bandaging charm on it. "There's got to be an easier way to fight them though. Most of our curses and hexes don't work on them, and the ones that do work vary from demon to demon."  
"That's why you use one of these," Xander said, coming up behind them. He handed Charlie a sword while Anya passed an ax to Bill. "These work a lot better, trust us."

"What about the two of you?" Bill asked.

"Always carry spares," Xander said, showing them another ax. "You never know when you'll lose a weapon."

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"Angel, remind me again why we're here," Cordelia said as she wiped the demon gore off of her face. The last demon in their section had exploded when they had pierced its heart.

"This is a chance to get rid of an evil wizard."

She shook her head and waved her hands. "No, I mean besides that. This is really gross. I could have done this at home."

"Because the dry cleaning here is better at getting out demon gore."

Cordelia brightened visibly. "I knew there was a good reason."

The vampire just rolled his eyes and sighed as he followed her towards other signs of fighting.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Came a voice from off to the side. They looked to see Fred and Gunn jogging up to them. "I think we've cleared out our nasties," Gunn said.

"How about you guys?" Fred asked.

"Other than the exploding one, ours were easy," Cordelia answered. "I think the trolls were on Faith's side."

"We should probably see how they're doing," Fred said and the four headed off.

****

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Neville's blood froze in his veins as he recognized the scream that came from a few yards behind him. He turned to see Blaise standing over top of two prone forms, who he assumed were her parents. She was bleeding from several cuts and the left side of her face was bruised. But still, she defiantly stood before the deatheater who was slowly advancing on her. Both her wand and weapon were missing.

The deatheater raised its wand and the world slowed. Neville knew that there was no way he'd get there in time to save her. His mind went blank as he tried to think of an appropriate spell. When nothing came, he pulled his dagger out of his waistband and threw it. The deatheater stopped in midcurse and clutched his arm where the dagger had imbedded itself. Blaise took the opportunity to place a solid kick to his head and he fell unconscious to the ground.

Neville ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You ok?" He whispered.

"I am now," she said with a choked sob.

He pulled back and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Thank Merlin. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he said. Seeing a small smile on her lips, he asked, "What?"

"You kissed me. Do it again."

"Now? We're in the middle of a battle."

"I don't care," she said. "Besides, I think we're in the clear."  
He looked around and saw that she was right. All of the deatheaters in their vicinity were either dead or unconscious. Smiling, he turned and kissed her again.

****

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"Potter," came a sibilant voice across the field.

Harry turned to see the man responsible for so much pain and suffering in his life and in others.

"Let's end this," Voldemort sneered.

"Whenever you're ready," Harry growled back.

"We're right behind you," Hermione said from his right.

"You're not going anywhere without us, mate," Ron said from his left.

Remembering Galadriel's message to him from over a month before, he accepted his friends' help without arguing. With a grim smile, he advanced on the man who had been terrorizing the wizarding world for so long.

Ron erected a Wiccan shield that protected them from any curses that were being hurled at them, while Hermione threw curses and hexes of her own back at the deatheaters. They slowly made their way over to Voldemort and before long Harry was standing a mere five feet away from him.

"For too long you have been standing in my path," Voldemort said. "Your life ends now."

"You have to catch me first," Harry said.

"You filthy mudblood lover," Voldemort said, raising his wand.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he realized what he needed to do. There was no way he could defeat Voldemort with magic. The wizard was too strong and knew more than Harry could at his young seventeen years. But lucky for him, he'd had lots of help in other modes of fighting. Out of the corner of his mouth, he gave Ron and Hermione some quick instructions. He didn't have to look at them to know that they'd follow his lead.

"Avada ked..."

"Now!" Harry cried. Ron and Hermione split while Harry dropped to the ground. He swung his leg out knocking Voldemort off his feet. Harry quickly jumped back up and kicked Voldemort before he could stand back up. At the edge of his senses, he could tell that Ron and Hermione were fighting off any deatheater that was trying to interfere.

From his position on the ground, Voldemort tried to raise his wand, but Harry kicked it out of his hand. He slammed his foot down on Voldemort's wand hand and he could hear the bones breaking. "You should have paid more attention in Muggle Studies," Harry said with a smirk. "Us muggleborns tend to be a little more resourceful. I'm surprised you never thought of that since you're muggleborn yourself."

"What will you do now, Potter? You don't have it in you to kill me."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Harry said grimly, pulling out his sword. He shoved it down into Voldemort's chest.

Voldemort's back arched as he gasped out in pain. Then as he sagged back to the ground, a gust of power exploded forth from his body and rippled across the field and through Hogwarts.

Harry was knocked backwards and he landed hard on his back several feet away. After the wave passed, he gingerly pushed himself up on his elbows. "That was unexpected," he said, slightly dazed, before falling back in a dead faint.


	38. The Black Gates of Mordor

The next chapter will be up next Sunday.

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Review Responses:

Panther28, rcaqua, Kyra2, thank you so much for your reviews!

John, Yup, one more major battle in Middle Earth and we're done. Well, not completely I've got a chapter and an epilogue left.

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

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Chapter Thirty-Eight

The Black Gates of Mordor

Aragorn sat on his horse in front of what was left of the army of Men and watched as the Black Gates of Mordor slowly swung open. Through them he could see Mount Doom in the distance.

"Are we going to wait for Buffy and the others before making our move?" Legolas softly asked.

"I don't think we'll have that option," Aragorn said, eyeing the orcs and trolls that were pouring out of the gates, then he gave his horse a nudge. As he began riding across the army, he called out, "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" As he drew forth his sword, Brego, his horse, reared up. The men around him cheered as their confidence was bolstered.

Legolas smiled down at Gimli, who returned it. "I never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf," Gimli said a bit ruefully.

"How about side by side with a friend?" Legolas suggested.

Gimli's smile grew. "Aye, I could do that."

The two chuckled as they watched the denizens of the enemy began to surround them. Their hearts held no regrets, and they were comforted by the knowledge that they were doing the right thing.

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"Are you sure they will come?" Éomer asked Aragorn softly so as not to alarm the men around them.

"They will come, they have not failed us yet. They have fought shoulder to shoulder with us in a war that was not their own. They are good people, they will come."

"But will it be in time?" Éomer asked.

"One can only hope," Aragorn replied.

****

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As the attack began, Elladan and Elrohir moved as one. The fact that they had been fighting together for centuries was evident in the way they moved. The light of the Eldar shone through them as they cut down orc after orc. It didn't hurt that they had a long-standing grudge against the orcs either. These may not have been the same orcs that had slain their mother, but they were of the same ilk.

Not too far from them, Legolas and Gimli cut their own path through the enemy. Legolas' twin knives nearly sang as he thrusted and parried his way through. Gimli followed closely behind and prevented any orc from trying to hit the elf from behind.

"That's twelve already!" Gimli called out, renewing their competition from Helm's Deep.

"You're falling behind," Legolas cried. "Twenty-two!"

"Damn pointy-eared elf," Gimli muttered as he cut down another orc.

Gandalf let out a chuckled of his own as he listened to their banter. He could hardly believe that the two who had distrusted each other the most at the beginning of the journey were the ones at the end who were the closest. The old wizard only hoped that Aragorn made it through this alive.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end and he felt a pressure building on the base of his skull. The orcs seemed to halt in their fight and Gandalf took the brief respite to turn and see what had attracted their attention. A triumphant smile graced his lips as he recognized the huge portal. He could feel Dawn's power singing across the land and he knew, without a doubt, that if they hadn't captured Sauron's attention yet, they had it now.

Gandalf blinked in surprise at the number of people coming out of the portal. He didn't recognize them, but they were all similarly dressed in black robes and were carrying wands. A laugh bubbled out of his chest as he realized that Sauron would not live out the day.

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"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, staring at all of the orcs and trolls. "Guess they really did need our help."

"Oh Ron, of course they did, or did you think Buffy was exaggerating? Now let's take care of this, shall we?" Hermione said a bit primly.

Ron couldn't help but grin at the picture his girlfriend made. She had changed so much since the first day he had met her on the train to Hogwarts. Sure, she was still a know-it-all busybody, but there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for a friend in trouble. As she cut down an orc, he believed that her body had become as strong as her mind. Not for the first time he counted himself lucky that it was he that she loved.

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"Looks like we arrived just in time," Willow said, surveying the field.

"Are you ok?" Tara asked, seeing her lover's eyes flicker back and forth between green and black.

"As long as you're right next to me, I will be."

The two Wiccas joined hands and helped where they could.

****

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Merry and Pippin quickly learned that the orcs never looked to the ground for an attack. So they spent their time slashing at the orcs knees from behind. When they fell to the ground, the hobbits would stab them in the chest. It was a system that they had quickly developed and it worked surprisingly well for them.

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"Didn't we just do this?" Buffy wearily asked as she landed on the ground next to Spike. An orc had gotten in a lucky punch.

"What? This fighting for our lives stuff? Don't we do this all the time?" Spike asked with a chuckle. He protected her from another attack while she got up.

"I meant this whole battle against the orcs. This is what our what? Third? Fourth? Hell, fifth battle?"

"Ah, but the important thing is, that it's our last. Don't forget that," Spike said.

****

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Dawn wiped the black orc blood out of her eyes. Honestly, if she never saw an orc again it would be too soon. They had spent the past month either running from or fighting them and she was tired of it. Everything seemed to be catching up on her at once as she used the magic inside her to send three orcs flying across the field.

She smiled slightly to herself as she felt Draco fighting behind her. At least she knew that she'd never be alone in this.

****

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Wesley stumbled slightly as fear gripped his heart. He had a vague notion of something large swooping over top of him. Suddenly Harry was standing before him. The watcher could just make out Harry's confident stance as the young man raised his wand and yelled, "Expecto patronum!"

A silver stag shot out of his wand and up into the sky after the flying beasts. As the fear lessened its hold on Wesley's chest, he asked, "What was that?"

"The Nazgûl," Harry said. "They're a lot like our dementors so I thought I'd try our defense against them.

"And Ginny killed their leader?"

"Yes," Harry said with a proud tilt of his chin.

"Good for her, and quick thinking on your part," Wesley said before turning back to the fight at hand.

****

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"Giles, how much longer?" Anya asked.

"How much longer until what?"  
"Until Sevie can take Frodo and end this whole thing?"  
"I would say it is probably safe to go now," Giles said. He took a quick look around the battlefield. Even with the wizards' help, they were still vastly outnumbered. "In fact, he should go now," Giles amended his previous statement.

Anya looked over to where Snape and Frodo were trying to stay out of as much of the fighting as possible. "Sevie, honey! You can go ahead!"

The potions master nodded and held Frodo close to his side. With a loud crack, they disappeared.

Frodo blinked his eyes a couple of times to adjust himself to the sudden heat that surrounded them. They were just inside the entrance of Mount Doom and he could see the burning lava below them.

"Any time now, Mister Baggins," Snape said.

The hobbit could only numbly nod his head. Once they had returned to Middle Earth, the ring had become heavy once again. The burden was weighing his soul down and it caused him to hesitate.

Snape seemed to sense this and he crouched down so he was at eye level with the hobbit. "You can do this," he said, remembering his own struggle with the darkness inside himself. "You can do this. You are stronger than that ring. Don't let it overtake you."

Crystal blue eyes stared into dark ones for several long minutes before Frodo reached into his tunic to pull out the chain that held the ring. Snape could feel the evil in the ring tugging at the darkness he kept inside. Tempting him to reach out and grab it.

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Faith couldn't stop grinning as she slashed at the orc closest to her. It was no big secret that Faith enjoyed the more physical part of being a slayer. The fact that this was her second large battle in just a few short days had adrenaline surging through her veins. Seeing that she and Remus had killed all of the orcs closest to them, she sent him a quick leer.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Wait 'til we get home, Wolfboy, just wait 'til we get home."  
"Because why?"

"I haven't told you about my slayer H and H theory have I?" She asked.

"No."

"Fighting makes me hungry and horny."

He arched an eyebrow and said, "Guess we should prove that later then, huh?"

She laughed as they moved on to another circle of orcs.

****

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Aragorn looked over to see an orc coming up behind Dawn. He had no arrows left nor could he reach her in time. So he called out, "Amaurëa! Behind you!"

She ducked and turned but not in time to prevent being hurt. The orc's sword cut into her side and she cried out in pain.

Draco's face turned white as he watched her drop to the ground. He hacked his way through the orcs to her, hoping that it wasn't too late. Aragorn and Éomer rushed to her side also and stood over them, preventing any other orcs from attacking the couple.

"Dawn... Dawn are you ok?" Draco frantically asked.

"I just got stabbed so I think the answer is No!" She ground out between clenched teeth.

Peeling back her shirt a little, he was relieved to see that the cut wasn't too deep. "I think you'll live," he said, applying pressure to the wound.

"Always comforting words to hear."

****

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There was a loud explosion and Xander looked up to see the mountain erupting into flames. "Guess that means the ring is gone," he said.

"Oh no, Mr. Frodo," Sam said from behind him.

"I'm sure he's fine. Snape wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "Master Snape doesn't look very friendly."

"Well, he's not," Xander said with a shrug. "But he's still a good guy. He'll take care of Frodo, don't worry."  
There was a loud crack behind them and they turned to see Snape standing there with Frodo by his side.

"See, told you he'd be all right."

****

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Having felt Dawn's pain through their bond, Buffy and Spike hurried over to where she laid.

"We need to finish this now," Dawn gasped. She reached out to take Draco and Buffy's hands. Closing her eyes, she concentrated.

"Yellonyë Fëanáronna na ustë raukar anten. I minë ya haryë oore vá harna. I neldë hecero. I mahtar, I istar, ar i fólë. Ventë tulto i fólë ta euva atalantelya."

All of the orcs and trolls around them burst into flame. As their bodies turned to ash, Dawn slumped lifelessly in Draco's arms.

"No!" He cried.

****

A/N: Sorry about the Elvish, but its a bit rusty. A rough translation: I call upon the sun's fire to smote those before me. The one who holds my heart will never be harmed. The three shall stand together: The Warrior, the Wizard, and the Key. As they uphold the Key it will be your downfall.


	39. Partings

Just the epilogue left guys and it will be up next Sunday.

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Review Responses:

John, I'm afraid there's not much more...

rcaqua, I'll try to make them just as good...

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Thank you guys so much for your reviews! You are awesome!

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LOTR Notes:

I have no idea what Eorl's daughter's name was if he had a daughter, so I made one up to suit the purposes of my fic.

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A/N: Because fanfiction. net seems to have issues in allowing special characters used in these fics. When they are speaking Elvish it will look like **_this._** When telepathy is being used, it will look like **this.**

Special thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

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Chapter Thirty-Nine

Partings

Ginny happily read through some scrolls that Legolas had brought to her from the library at Minas Tirith before he had left with the army. The beautiful Elven script had been hard to read at first, but by the eighth day it had become a little easier. Dawn hadn't given them a lot of lessons in the written form, just the spoken, but Ginny didn't really have a lot of other options of things to do. She was on her last day of enforced bed rest.

The best part of the day though, was the fact that she was finally alone. It wasn't that Faramir wasn't a nice guy or that she didn't love Éowyn like the sister she never had; she just needed to be away from the two of them. Faramir and Éowyn had been exchanging long looks that spoke volumes. She was happy for them, really she was. They both deserved to find happiness, but it only served as a reminder of the distance between her and Harry.

She blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. It just wasn't fair. When Legolas and Aragorn had told her about Voldemort's impending attack she had wanted to go home right then, no matter how ill she still was. The man she loved was in the middle of a battle and she wanted to stand beside him. Part of her knew that she was too weak to be much help, in actuality she'd have been a liability. That didn't stop her from feeling guilty about it though.

Ginny set the scroll down, and closing her eyes she leaned back on the headboard. Although she was feeling better, she still had a tendency to get tired easily. She heard the sound of someone entering the room and she figured it was Éowyn and Faramir returning from their brief walk. However, the whispered voices weren't the ones she was expecting.

"She's sleeping," said a male voice.

"Should we wake her?" Asked a younger male voice.

"I don't know, she hasn't been well," said an older one.

"But it's been forever since we've seen her," said a voice a lot like the second one.

"You've waited longer," a fifth voice said in exasperation.

"We should go and let her sleep," a slightly stuffy voice said.

"But..." Argued the second one.

"No buts. Let's go," said the third one.

Ginny's eyes flew open to see all five of her brothers standing just inside the doorway. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

"She's awake!" Fred cried.

"Yes, we can see that," Percy said.

Ron rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Gin, I was so worried. Willow had said you were hurt, then Aragorn said you were on death's door, but Dawn swore there wasn't a scratch on you and I just didn't know what to believe. I've missed you."

"Breathe Ron, breathe," Ginny said, the tears returning to her eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked as her brothers crowded around her bed.

"Decided you were having all the fun," Fred said.

"How selfish of you," George added.

"Very selfish."

"That wouldn't do."

"So we came to see you."  
"Since you obviously couldn't take the time to come see us."

Knowing she'd never get a straight answer from them, she turned to Bill. "Well?"

"We joined the aurors and your friends to fight you-know-who..." he began.

"What happened?" She interrupted.

"We won, he's dead," he said with a smile.

"And Harry? Where is he?"

"He's fine," Ron said. "He's in a meeting."

"Ok, but why are _you_ here?"

Bill, with the help of the others, filled Ginny in on Dawn's plan and both battles. Her eyes widened throughout the whole tale. She couldn't believe that all that had happened while she had been stuck in bed resting.

"So Dawn's in that meeting then?" Ginny asked when they had finished. She knew something was wrong by their long faces. "What's wrong?"

****

XXXXXXXX

Buffy found Aragorn standing alone on a balcony overlooking the city. She moved to stand next him and gazed out over the horizon. After a few minutes she said, "Coronation is in two days. You ready for that step?"  
"My people need me whether I am ready or not," he answered softly.

"That's the part that really sucks about destiny."

"How do you mean?" He asked, turning to face her with inquisitive eyes.

"That whoever up there who decides all of this for us, for me the Powers That Be, for you the..."  
"Valar," he supplied.

"That the whoever decided that we were the ones who had to do or be these things without even thinking about whether we'd be ready or even able to do it. They just thrust us out there and say do it. Never once considering our own feelings on the matter," she said, her eyes never leaving the distant mountains.

"It does... suck," he said hesitantly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

She turned serious hazel eyes to his grey ones. "But once there, you discover that you _were_ ready and maybe even _want_ to do it. And if you look deeper you realize that you wouldn't trust..."

"Anyone else to do it," he finished for her. "I believe I know precisely what you mean."

"So are you ready then?"  
"As ready as I am able," he said with a slight nod.

Buffy turned to leave and then stopped. She turned back and said, "Thank you for everything you did for Dawn."

"I only wish I could have done more."

"A word of advice - never use the 'W' word. You never know who might be listening," she warned before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

****

XXXXXXXX

As Dawn slowly floated into consciousness, she was aware that every muscle in her body ached. The throbbing in her head was only matched by the throbbing in her right side. "Ow," she whimpered.

"Amaurëa, you are finally awake."

It seemed that even her eyelids hurt as they fluttered opened. The soft candlelight seemed too bright as she squinted at the blurry figure that moved to the edge of her bed. Her vision cleared and she recognized Elrohir. "Where am I?" She asked, her voice dry and rusty from lack of use.

"Minas Tirith," he answered, helping her drink some water.

Her eyes widened. "How long have I been out?"

"Five days. The orc's blade had been poisoned. Your body needed time to fight it and recoup after your overuse of magic. You were exhausted."

"Buffy?"  
"She is fine."

"Draco?"  
Elrohir smiled and looked to the other side of her bed. With a grimace, she turned her head to see the man in question. He had somehow managed to fold his long body into an armchair and fallen asleep. There was a nasty looking scratch on the left side of his face, but other than that he looked unharmed.

"He has not left you side despite efforts to remove him for rest or food," Elrohir said. "I will inform you sister that you are awake." He placed a gentle kiss to her brow before standing. "I am happy that you are well."

"Me too," she said as he left the small room. She looked back over to Draco and her pain faded some as she thought of how much love was shared between them. He looked extremely uncomfortable there and she knew he'd pay for it when he woke up. Deciding to take pity on him, she sent him a querying thought. **Are you going to sleep all day?**

She could see him stir slightly so she tried again. **Yo, Blondie! Are you in there?**

Draco jerked awake and looked wildly around the room. Relief shone in his eyes as they fell upon Dawn's very awake and very smug form. He untangled himself and rushed over to her. Gathering her in his arms, he held her tightly and whispered in a thick voice, "I was so scared that I had lost you."  
"Ow," she said, causing him to release her in alarm.

"I'm sorry."

"'S'ok. I ache and my side hurts a little," she said, pulling him back to her. He shifted until he was lying in the bed with her curled up to his side. "Mmmm, that's nice," she said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Draco closed his eyes and relished the feeling of her against him. "Don't ever do that to me again," he said after a moment.

"Don't get stabbed by an orc again. Check."

"I'm serious. These past five days were the worst ones in my life."

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't exactly plan to get hurt," she said a little testily.

He let go of her and sat up with his back to her. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. It's my fault you got hurt."

"What are you talkin..."

"I should have stayed by your side! If I had, that thing would have never got close enough to touch you. I screwed up and you're the one paying for it. I don't know what you see in a wanker like me."

"Are you finished beating yourself up?" She archly asked.

The blonde didn't answer. He just continued to stare down dejectedly at his hands.

"You silly boy," she admonished. He whirled around to stare at her in surprise. "There's no guarantee I wouldn't have been hurt if you had been next to me. For all we know I could have been killed, or even you."  
"But..."

"Ah!" She protested as she sat up, only to fall back against the pillow in pain.

"See," he said, tears shining in his grey eyes.

She reached out and grabbed the front of his tunic. She pulled and when their noses were nearly touching. In a low, steady voice, she said, "It was not your fault. Got it?" He nodded his head. "Good. Now give me a proper kiss before the others get here and we lose our privacy."

****

XXXXXXXX

Three days later, the Scooby gang was gathered in the throne room with their friends from Middle Earth. Dawn had managed to open a portal the day before and sent the aurors and professors back home. They had stayed behind to tie up a few lose ends, but now they had finished all of the packing and were now saying their goodbyes.

Ginny reached up to hug Legolas. "Thank you so much for the music," she said, referring to the parchments that contained Elvish songs. "I can't wait to learn them."

"You have a beautiful voice, Lady Ginny, it deserves to be heard," he said with a gentle smile. "I look forward to hearing you sing again."

**__**

Take care, Amaurëa Elladan said as he gingerly hugged Dawn. **_And when you finish your schooling we would be honored if we could visit your world for a time._**

That would be great! She said with a smile. **_You can come back with us when we return for Aragorn's secret shindig he's planning._**

We look forward to getting new ideas for our practical jokes. Fred and George Weasley have already given us some inspiration, Elrohir said with a sly grin.

Dawn's eyes widened. **_You can't do anything to Aragorn now, he's king._**

But now is the most important time to hassle him, Elladan sagely said.

**__**

Keeps his head from swelling, Elrohir explained.

"Does she suspect a thing?" Aragorn quietly asked Draco.

"Nothing. She's curious, but she believes it centers completely around you," Draco said, watching Dawn hug Gimli.

Aragorn smiled. "Good. Let's keep it that way. I would hate for your surprise to be spoiled."

"Me, too."

Speaking loudly over the din of goodbyes, Aragorn said, "My friends! I am saddened to see loved ones depart, but my heart rejoices in knowing that we will meet again. Before you leave however, Éomer King and his sister Éowyn have a few words they wish to say."

The two in question stepped up onto the lower dais in front of the throne. Dressed in their formal robes and looking every inch of the royal family, they smiled at their friends. Éomer began, "In recognition of bravery above recall and reminding us to judge someone on their deeds and compassion rather than their size or gender. The people of Rohan wish to thank Ginny, daughter of Molly and Arthur Weasley, for standing beside us in our time of strife. And more importantly, for fighting next to our own Shieldmaiden in defense of our late king, Théoden."

"We wish to present her with this gift," Éowyn said, revealing a delicate, yet deadly looking sword. Rohan knotwork designs were engraved on the blade and the pommel had two intricately designed horse heads. "It belonged to Éorl's daughter, Hild, the first Shieldmaiden of Rohan. Know that you and your kind are always welcome in our lands, Shieldmaiden of Rohan."

Ginny gaped at them in utter surprise while her family grinned at her in pride. Harry gave her a slight push and said, "Go on, you deserve it."

She stumbled forward to receive the priceless gift. "This is... I mean.. It's so... Wow," she said, her mind incapable of forming a complete thought.

A light laugh escaped Éowyn's lips as she hugged her friend. "Thank you, for everything."

Then Éomer took his turn at hugging the redhead. "You are a most remarkable lady," he said as the room erupted in applause.

When the applause died down, Gandalf spoke the words they were all dreading. "We must delay our friends no longer. They have responsibilities in their own world."  
"Do not forget to return for our Mid-year celebration," Aragorn reminded them.

"Even though you won't tell us why it is so important to you, we'll be here," Buffy said. He just smiled mysteriously at her.

With tears flowing down her cheeks, Dawn opened the portal and they returned to their world.


	40. Epilogue

Hello peeps! Sad to say, but this is the end. This is where our tale ends and I can write no more. Seriously, I can't. At least, not in this world I've created. My muse refuses to go no further and I agree. So please no begging for another sequel, because there won't be one. If you've enjoyed my writing, please feel free to check out other fics I have written and even take a spin around my website. You can find the address on my profile page.

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Review Responses:

rcaqua, John, Kyra2, thank you guys so much for your reviews.

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A/N: I'd like to send out a huge special thank you to several people. First to PuNKyCoWGiRL for betaing this fic for me. Then to John, Kyra, Harmoni, Ezmerelda, Kiara, and FacInTheCrowd for all of the reviews you guys have left me over the course of this fic. You guys kept me going and made sure I was heading in the right direction and not bogging down in details. Thank you guys so much, you're awesome!

Epilogue

True to their word, the Scoobies and their friends had returned to Middle Earth for the Mid-year celebration. They were surprised however, to learn that they would also be attending Aragorn's wedding to the lovely elf maiden, Arwen. She, like her brothers Elladan and Elrohir, had long black hair and grey eyes. While all elves had an innate beauty, Arwen seemed to possess something more that made everyone who met her like her. It was easy to see that she only had eyes for Aragorn, though.

The past six months since Voldemort's fall had seen a wondrous change in their group. Despite the fact that he was once again seen as the savior of the wizarding world, Harry was more relaxed than he had ever been. Everything in his life seemed to be falling into place. The threat of Voldemort was gone forever, the Dursleys would never trouble him again since he lived with Sirius, his friends were safe, and he was in love.

He wasn't the only one breathing easier. Blaise was reunited with her parents and their testimony helped send many deatheaters to Azkaban. Her and Neville's relationship was still going strong, to the pleasure of his grandmother and her parents. Remus and Faith both found the acceptance that they had both been searching for - he in his new job at Angel Investigations and she in the unconditional love that he offered her.

Ron no longer felt as though he was playing second fiddle to Harry having played a large role in their last adventure into trouble. He and Hermione surprised everyone by eloping right after graduation and were currently looking for a small flat in London. Éowyn and Faramir had announced that their wedding would also be in a few months. Ginny had talked her parents into letting her bring back Brytta, her horse. She had become quite attached to him during her stay in Middle Earth and had missed him greatly when she had returned home.

Even though the Scoobies had been primarily hired to help protect Harry from Voldemort, they decided to keep their teaching positions at Hogwarts. They had a lot to teach and they enjoyed their new jobs. Clem and Tilly had met while he had visited Hogwarts and she moved back to Sunnydale with him. At least there she was no longer losing her kittens. And upon their return to Middle Earth, they had all been surprised to see that the White Tree of Gondor was once again in full bloom. A signal, better than all others, that the world was finally on the mend.

Dawn laughed as Draco twirled her around the dance floor. "I can't believe Aragorn didn't tell us he was getting married."

"He wasn't sure Elrond, her father, would allow it. So he kept it secret until he knew for sure," Draco explained.

"You knew?"

"I overheard him asking Ginny for a favor," he said.

Dawn looked up to where the redhead had finished singing a song with several musicians. "At least now I know why she just _had _to learn all of those songs Legolas had given her."

With the lull in the music, everyone could hear Ginny as she said, "I would like to dedicate this next song to two very good friends of mine - Draco and Dawn." The music began and she grinned impishly at them. "And Draco, we're all dying of suspense. Get on with it already."

Draco glared at Ginny while Dawn looked at him with curiosity. "What's that all about?"

"Nothing. Let's dance," he said, pulling her close.

__

I don't like to be alone in the night

And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right

And I don't like to have the rain on my shoe

But I do love you, but I do love you

"And now I know where she's been hiding herself for the past two days," Dawn said.

"Huh?"

"She's been teaching the musicians Earth songs," Dawn said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh," he said, and then fell silent again. He suddenly stopped dancing and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "You know I love you, right?"

"Ummm, yeah," she said.

"You were an angel that swooped into my sorry life. You trusted and believed in me when no one else would. I am a better man because of you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. Taking a deep breath, he opened it to reveal a diamond set in an ornate silver band. He got down on one knee and Dawn was suddenly very conscious that everyone had stopped dancing and was watching them.

"Dawn, will you marry me?"  
She was so stunned that all she could do was nod her head.

"Is that a yes?'

"Yes, oh my god, yes," she squealed, the shock finally passing.

There was applause and cheers from the crowd as he slid the ring on her finger. He stood and kissed her.

__

Love everything about the way you're loving me

The way you lay your head

Upon my shoulder when you sleep

And I love to kiss you in the rain

I love everything you do, oh I do

"This ring is absolutely gorgeous. Where did you get it?" She asked.

"It's mithril, so obviously I had some help," he said a bit sheepishly.

"That's what all that whispering with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli was about before we had left and when we got back."

"Yeah, you're not mad are you?"

Dawn smirked. "Yes, I'm obviously so upset about you proposing that I said yes. I love you, silly boy."

"I am not," he protested before kissing her again.

__

finis


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